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THE 




OR, 

FACTS AND OPINIONS, 


ILLUSTRATIVE OF 


THE CHARACTER AND TENDENCY OF FREEMASONRY. 



AUTHOR OF A .1ICON OF FREEMASONRY.” 


Grand Secretary and Grand Lecturer of South Carolina; Secretary General of the 
Supreme Council of the 33rd Degree, for the Southern Jurisdiction 
of the United States ; D. G. H. P. of the Grand Chapter of 
South Carolina; Past Master of Solomon’s Lodge ; 

Honorary Member of Lodge La Clemente 
Amitie, Paris; and of Walhalla 
Lodge, Charleston. 


“ Quoniam res humanse fragiles caducteque sunt semper aliqui acquirendi sunt 
quos diligamus, et a quibus diligamur. Caritate enim benevolentiaque sublata, 
omnis est e vita sublata jucunditas.”—Cic. Dialog, de Amicit. 




CHARLESTON, S. C. 


PRINTED BY MILLER &■ BROWNE 














Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 
1849, by Albert G. Mackey, in the Clerk’s Office of 
the District of South Carolina, 










Maj. »en. J. A. QVITm&XS, 

IV. G.\ M.\ of the Grand Lodge of Mississippi ; 
Honorary Member of the Grand Lodge of South Carolina 
Member of the Supreme Council of the 33rd Degree 
for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States ; 

THIS 

DEFENSIVE EXPOSITION 

OF AN INSTITUTION 
OF WHICH 

HE IS A DISTINGUISHED ORNAMENT ; 

TO WHICH 

HE HAS REPEATEDLY EXPRESSED HIS WARM ATTACHMENT? 

AND FOR WHICH 

HE CONTINUES TO EXHIBIT AN UNDIMINISHED ZEAL? 

IS RESPECTFULLY AND FRATERNALLY 


DEDICATED 


PREFACE. 


many good and well meaning men and women, who, hav¬ 
ing been tainted or deceived by various pernicious publica¬ 
tions, still entertain the most ungenerous and prejudiced 
opinions of the masonic Order. In friendly controversy 
with such persons, laboring, as they do, under mistaken 
views, my brethren may find some assistance from the 
pages which I have here contributed as my mite towards 
the advancement of that Institution, to which my attach¬ 
ment has increased with my knowledge of its principles. 

A portion of this work is compilation; yet for that 
compilation, labor has been required in research, and dis¬ 
crimination in selection. How profitably that labor has 
been exerted, or how wisely that discrimination has been 
exercised, it is not for me to determine. 

To contemporary writers, I must be contented with 
here making a general acknowlegment; but I cannot 
omit to particularize my indebtedness to the profound 
works of Dr. Oliver, and to the invaluable magazine of 
my friend and brother, C. W. Moore, of Boston. 

I place this book in the hands of the fraternity, with 
all the confident hope of indulgence, to which former 
kindness has given birth. 

ALBERT Gr. MACKEY. 

Charleston , Dec. 28th, 1848. 




» « , 


4 


TABLE OF CONTENTS. 


The Indian Mason, - - - page I 

The Dragoon and his Prisoner, - - 3 

The Recovered Snuff Box, ... 3 

The French Chasseurs, ... 5 

A Vessel Saved, .... 5 

Masonry among the Arabs, ... 6 

The Indian Chief Tecumseh, 7 

The Merchant of Hayti, ... 9 

The Shipwrecked Mason, - - - 10 

Masonic Friendship, - - - ]1 

Masonry at Waterloo, - - - - 13 

The Lucky Subaltern, ... 14 

The Robber of the Desert, - - - 15 

The Distressed Widow, - 16 

The Shipwreck in the Baltic, - - 18 

Putnam’s Rescue, - 19 

The Talismanic Horn, - - - 20 

Masonry in Bohemia, ... 21 

The Broken Merchant, - - 23 

The French Privateersman, - - 25 

Another Privateersman, - - 30 

The Orphans, - 31 

Dispensing with a Supper, - - 32 

Quarter Granted, .... 33 

The Corsair and the Minerva, - - - 34 

Adoption of a Mason’s Son, - - 35 

Freemasonry among Pirates, - - 38 

The Prize Released, - 43 

General Gillespie, - 45 

Monsieur Preverot, ... 47 

The Converted Clergyman, - - - 47 

The Tripolitan Mason, - 48 

The Courtesy of Masonry, - - 50 

The Magistrates of Amsterdam, - - 51 

The Mediterranean Pass, - - 52 

Masonry Prevents Litigation, - - 54 

Freemasonryit Sea, - - - 57 

Episodes of tee French Revolution, - 59 

Freemasonry in Sweden, - - 60 



Vlll 


TABLE OF CONTENTS. 


Freemasonry in Germany, 

Masonic Courtesy in War, 

Pope Benedict XIV., 

Queen Elizabeth, - 

The Charities of Freemasonry, 

The Universality of Freemasonry, 
Freemasonry and Temperance, 
Freemasonry and Religion, 

Freemasonry and Politics, 

The Science of Freemasonry, 

The Moral Design of the Masonic Degrees, 
The Tenets of Freemasonry, 

The Freemasons as Architects, 

Freemasonry and Education, 

The Secrecy of Freemasonry, 

Unworthy Members of the Order, 

The Exclusiveness of Freemasonry, 

The Question of Masonic Oaths, 
Freemasonry and Woman, 

The Testimony of Washington, 

“ “ “ John Adams, 

“ “ “ Gen. Jackson, 

“ “ “ La Fayette, 

“ “ “ the Duke of Sussex, 

“ “ “ the Marquis of Hastings, 

“ “ “ Lord Combermere, - 

“ “ “ Lord Ramsay, 

11 “ “ Lord Durham, 

“ “ “ De Witt Clinton, 

“ “ “ Edward Livingston, - 

“ “ “ Mr. Poinsett, 

“ “ “ Sir E. L. Bulwer, - 

“ “ “ Rev. Dr. Wolff, - 

“ “ “ Sir Wm. Follett, 

“ “ ** Lorenzo Dow, 

“ ** ** the King of Denmark, 

“ “ “ La Lande, 

“ “ “ Clergymen, - 

“ “ “ Our Enemies, 

Antiquity of Freemasonry, 

Corollary, .... 


page 62 

64 

65 

66 
68 
75 
79 
82 
87 
93 

105 

112 

116 

124 

131 

137 

140 

142 

153 

155 

160 

162 

164 

165 
168 

169 

170 
172 
174 

- 175 

177 
179 
ISO 
181 
182 

184 

185 
188 
200 
209 
218 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


THE INDIAN MASON. 

It is not among civilized men only, that the uni¬ 
versal genius of Masonry has extended her purify¬ 
ing and protecting influences. Many Indians have 
passed through the ordeal of initiation, and it is 
worthy of remark, that the red mason of the forest 
is said to be as tenacious of his obligations, and as 
observant of his duties, as the most intelligent and 
highminded of his white brethren. A fact, in proof 
of this assertion, occurs in the revolutionary history 
of our own country. 

Joseph Brandt, a celebrated Mohawk Indian, 
had, on account of the strong natural intelligence 
he exhibited when a boy, been taken under the es¬ 
pecial patronage of Sir William Johnston, Gover¬ 
nor of Canada, by whose care he received all the 
advantages of a European education. Subsequent¬ 
ly he went to England under the patronage of the 
Earl of Moira, afterwards the Marquis of Hastings, 
and, while in that country, was initiated into the 
mysteries of Freemasonry. 

On his return, however, the habits of early life 
resumed their influence, while the acquired ones of 
education were abandoned; and Brandt, throwing 
off the dress and the usages of civilization, assumed 
once more the blanket and the rifle, and seemed to 
forget, in the wilds of his native forests, the lessons 
1 




2 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


he had learned in his trans-atl antic schools. But 
the sequel of our story will show that, however 
treacherous his memory may have been in other 
things, on one subject, at least, it proved to be ad¬ 
mirably retentive. 

During the Revolutionary War, at the battle of 
the “ Cedars,” thirty miles above Montreal, on the 
St. Lawrence, Col. McKinstry, then a captain in 
Patterson’s Regiment of Continental Troops, was 
twice wounded, and afterwards taken prisoner by 
the Indians, employed in the British service. 

The previous bravery and success of Capt. Mc¬ 
Kinstry had excited, at once, the fears and the re¬ 
sentment of his Indian conquerors, and, in accord¬ 
ance with the customs of savage warfare, he was 
forthwith doomed to die at the stake, accompanied 
with all those horrid and protracted torments which 
the Indians know so well how both to inflict and to 
endure. Already had he been fastened to the fatal 
tree, and the preparations for the human sacrifice 
were rapidly proceeding, when, in the strong agony 
of his despair, and scarcely conscious of a hope, 
the captive made the great mystic appeal of a ma¬ 
son in the hour of danger. It was seen, and un¬ 
derstood, and felt by the chieftain Brandt, who was 
present on the occasion. Brandt at once interposed 
in his behalf, and succeeded, by the influence of 
his position, in rescuing his American brother from 
his impending fate. Having freed him from his 
bonds, he conducted and guarded him in safety to 
Quebec, where he placed him in the hands of the 
English, by whom he was permitted to return to 
America on his parole. Col. McKinstry lived seve¬ 
ral years after to repeat, with grateful emotions, the 
history of this singular occurrence, and died at 
length in the year 1822, in the State of New-York. 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


3 


THE DRAGOON AND HIS PRISONER. 

At the battle of Dettingen, in 1743, one of the 
French guards having had his horse killed under 
him, was so entangled among the limbs of the fallen 
animal as to be utterly unable to extricate himself. 
While in this helpless situation, an English dragoon 
galloped up to him, and with his uplifted sabre was 
about to deprive him of life. The French soldier, 
with considerable difficulty, made the masonic ap¬ 
peal. The dragoon recognized him at once as a 
brother, and not only spared his life, but released 
him from his dangerous position. He however made 
him his prisoner, because Freemasonry, while it in¬ 
culcates brotherly love, forbids that it should be ex¬ 
ercised at the expense of patriotism, or higher duties. 


THE RECOVERED SNUFF BOX. 

The following anecdote is to be found in the Lon¬ 
don Freemasons’ Quarterly Review. It is related 
on the authority, and almost in the words of Bro¬ 
ther Blaquierre, Provincial Deputy Grand Master 
for Bengal, a man, who, at the patriarchal age of 
ninety-three, gave the testimony of his long experi¬ 
ence to the excellence of Freemasonry. 

“ A medical gentleman had realized a moderate 
fortune in the Brazils, and intending to return to 
England, he invested the fruits of his industry in 
precious stones, which were secured in a small box. 
This treasure he shipped on board a vessel, secured 
his own passage in another, and safely reached En¬ 
gland. But, alas for him ! scarcely had he arrived, 
when he received the fatal intelligence that the ves- 


4 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


sel, on board of which, he had freighted his>entire for¬ 
tune, had been wrecked on the coast of Cornwall. 
Thus in his declining years, the means of subsistence 
had vanished from him; he had returned to his na¬ 
tive land poorer than he had left it. About a 
twelvemonth had passed, when, one day, a stran¬ 
ger called at his humble lodgings, and enquired for 
him; he was admitted. The stranger, who was 
closely muffled up, and appeared desirous of con¬ 
cealment, asked a few questions relating to the Bra¬ 
zils, and others as to the circumstances of our hero, 
who felt somewhat disconcerted. At length, the 
stranger drew from under his cloak the identical 
box containing the lost treasure; his surprize and 
emotion satisfied the stranger, who, simply asking 
him if it were his, immediately delivered it to him, 
and made a sign. All that transpired was, that 
the box came into the possession of the stranger, 
who, on opening it, found at the top a snuff box, 
with Masonic emblems, and a name that enabled 
him, after much difficulty, to discover the real own¬ 
er. The stranger took a hasty leave, and was no 
more heard of. Conjecture pointed at the possibi¬ 
lity of his being what is termed 4 a wreckerbut 
the ways of Providence are inscrutable in teaching 
the powerful lessons of retribution. Masonry, as a 
moral engine, has elicited many mysterious instan¬ 
ces of the power of the human heart, however de¬ 
praved, to correct itself. But to the sequel. The 
snuff box became dear to the party thus restored to 
prosperity; and in time, it was bequeathed-to a gen¬ 
tleman, who, thinking that it should remain in the 
hands of a zealous Mason, presented it to Brother 
Blaquierre, whose successors will, no doubt, prize 
it, as a sign and token of Masonic interest.” 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


5 


THE FRENCH CHASSEURS. 

F. B. T. Clavel, in his “ Histoire Pittoresque de 
: la Franc-magonnerie,” relates the following circum¬ 
stance which occurred at the battle of Genappe. 

The 17th Regiment of French Chasseurs, enter- 
! ing the town of Genappe, made prisoners of all the 
inhabitants. In passing through the streets, some 
of the soldiers were wounded by musket shots fired 
from the windows of a house. They instantly at¬ 
tacked the house, and, excited by passion, deter¬ 
mined, on getting possession, to put to death nine of 
their wounded enemies whom they found lying 
there. The commander of the Chasseurs was at 
their head, and at the very moment that they were 
| about to perpetrate this act of revenge, he observed 
one of these poor wounded fellows, a Brunswick 
officer, who made a sign of distress. Vengeance 
ceased—the arm of war was paralyzed—the Ma¬ 
sonic appeal conquered. The commander threw 
himself between his own soldiers and the wounded 
men, and then generously saved their lives. This 
noble action was not unrewarded, for on the mor¬ 
row, being wounded in his turn, and taken prison¬ 
er by the Prussians ; he was recognized as a Mason 
by an officer, who took him under his care, attend¬ 
ed to his wants, and restored to him the money of 
which he had been despoiled by his captors. 


A VESSEL SAVED. 

The Massachusetts Political Register for 1814, 
page 186, contains the following account of a cir- 
1 # 





6 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


cumstance which occurred during the Three Years’ 
War between England and America. 

“ April 8, 1814, six boats, with about 200 men 
from a British frigate and a brig, lying off Say- 
brook, Connecticut, entered the port of Pettipagne, 
and burnt and destroyed twenty valuable vessels. 
One man, who had a vessel on the stocks, saved 
her by making it known to the commander of the 
British force that he was a Freemason.” 


MASONRY AMONG THE ARABS. 

At the celebration of the Anniversary of St. John 
the Evangelist, in 1843, at Oxford, in England, Mr. 
Blake, the Worshipful Master of the University 
Lodge, related the following anecdote of the influ¬ 
ence of Masonry among the Arabs. 

“ He confessed,” he said, “ that he had formerly 
been prejudiced against Freemasonry, but experi¬ 
ence abroad had convinced him of his error, and 
satisfied him that there was something in it beyond 
the mere name. He once had a friend, who, with 
his crew, had been wrecked in the Persian Gulf, 
when an Arab chieftain came down to plunder 
them, but, on his friend giving the Masonic signs, 
they were protected and taken to Muscat, where 
they were not only clothed and properly taken care 
of, but afterwards taken to Borneo. He knew this 
to be a fact; he had it from the lips of his friend who 
had been wrecked; and it so satisfied him as to the 
merits of Masonry, that he resolved to embrace 
the first opportunity of enrolling himself among its 
members. That pledge he had resumed ; and from 
the moment he had been initiated, he had felt the 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


7 


deepest interest in the institution, and the greatest 
desire to promote its interests, and extend its be¬ 
nefits.” 


THE INDIAN CHIEF TECUMSEH. 

Brother Robert G. Scott, Past Grand Master of 
Virginia, in an Address delivered before the Grand 
Lodge of that State, in 1845, related the following 
anecdote, which, he says, “is well authenticated, 
and vouched for by several witnesses now living.” 

During the last war between this country and 
England, a large detachment of the Northwestern 
Army, under the command of General Winchester, 
was attacked at the river Raisin, and after a sangui¬ 
nary engagement, was overcome by a superior En¬ 
glish and Indian force. The ammunition of the 
Americans being nearly expended, and all expec¬ 
tation of succor vain, they surrendered, on the as¬ 
surance of their conquerors that the prisoners should 
be treated with humanity. But they had scarcely 
laid down their arms, when the Indians commenced 
stripping them of their clothing, and beat and in¬ 
sulted all who ventured to complain of such treat¬ 
ment. At length the passions of the Indians be¬ 
coming excited, many of the Americans were toma¬ 
hawked and scalped. “ It was,” says Brother Ro¬ 
berts, “ in the midst of such an exciting scene that 
an Indian Chief with a lofty bearing, and the ex¬ 
pression of gratification and vengeance marked on 
his countenance, looked on this work of carnage 
and blood. Many of his best warriors had fallen 
by the sure fire of the Kentucky riflemen. He was 
chafed and maddened by the recent hot contest. 
In such a frame of mind he discouraged not the 



8 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


bloody tragedy. But behold now this red man of 
the forest. What superhuman influence has wrought 
such a change? Whither has gone that vengeful, 
that demon exultation ? It is the cry of a Mason 
and a brother which has reached him, a cry asking 
for mercy, and speaking in a language which he 
comprehends and obeys. He springs from the can¬ 
non on which he is resting, and with the swiftness 
of the deer of his native forest, he bounds among 
his followers and warriors, his tomahawk uplifted, 
and with a look and gesture which was never dis¬ 
regarded by his savage soldiers, utters the life 
saving command—‘let the slaughter cease—kill no 
more white men.’ This was Tecumseh, a Mason, 
who, with two other distinguished chiefs of his 
tribe, had years before been united to our order, 
while on a visit to Philadelphia.” 

The Percy Anecdotes record another instance of 
the attention of Tecumseh to his Masonic obliga¬ 
tions. 

An officer, in a skirmish with a party of British 
and Indians, in the late war, was severely wounded, 
and unable to rise ; two Indians rushed towards him 
to secure his scalp as their prey; one appeared to 
be a chief warrior, and was clothed in British uni¬ 
form. The hatchet was uplifted to give the fatal 
blow—the thought passed his mind that some of 
the chiefs were Masons, and with this hope he gave 
a Masonic sign—it stayed the arm of the savage 
warrior—the hatchet fell harmless to the ground— 
the Indian sprang forward—caught him in his arms, 
and the endearing title of Brother fell from his lips. 
That Indian was Tecumseh. 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


9 




THE MERCHANT OF HAYTI. 

The following anecdote is recorded in the Lon¬ 
don Freemasons’ Quarterly Review. The reference 
to the name of Brother Herring, the estimable Past 
Grand Secretary of New-York, is a sufficient gua¬ 
rantee of its truth. 

Eugene Marie Lagratia, a Spanish Creole, and 
general merchant in Port au Prince, in the republic 
of Hayti, was in prosperous circumstances, and 
highly respected, when, a few months since, the re¬ 
volution took place in that county. Notwithstand¬ 
ing his reputed character for being free from politi¬ 
cal bias, he was suspected of being hostile to those 
who sought for a change in the government, and 
being fearful of consequences, he meditated escape, 
but was arrested before he could effect it. His in¬ 
tention to escape was pleaded as sufficient reason 
for the punishment of death, and he was ordered 
for immediate execution. The fatal guard was 
ready, the unhappy man knelt on his coffin in pray¬ 
er previous to being blindfolded; and in this atti¬ 
tude, whilst lost to all hope but that of futurity, he 
felt himself suddenly seized in the arms of # some 
one, when he swooned. On recovering his senses 
he found himself in the guard-house, in the custody 
of the Playtien officer who commanded the fatal 
guard, and who, at the last moment, observing his 
features, recollected having met him in Lodge ; one 
look was enough—on his own responsibility he bore 
him away, and had the further happiness to pre¬ 
serve his life, the government being contented with 
the confiscation of his property. Lagratia was put 
on board a vessel bound to New-York, where he 
made himself known to Brother James Herring, the 




10 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 




Grand Secretary, who caused him to be relieved, 
and gave him a recommendatory letter to the Lodge 
of Benevolence of the Grand Lodge of England, 
to which he presented his petition on the 31st of 
July, for aid to procure a passage to Barcelona, 
where he had some commercial as well as general 
relations. This petition was of course favorably 
entertained. 

It would appear, however, from a letter written 
to New-York by Lagratia, after his arrival at home, 
that he was not received with the same kindness by 
his anti-masonic countrymen, as he had been by the 
strangers of the mystic tie, who relieved him from 
danger and distress. For he wrote from the prison 
of Barcelona on the 12th of August, 1814, to say, 
that in consequence of his masonic papers being , 
found upon him, he had been seized and thrown into 
a dungeon, with the expectation of being condemned 
to death. 

“Which now of these, thinkest thou, was neigh- ; 
bor unto him that fell among thieves ?” 


THE SHIPWRECKED MASON. 

The shipwreck of the French frigate Medusa, on 
the coast of Africa, in the year 1816, was attended 
with many circumstances of dreadful suffering and 
distress. Among the incidents recorded in the nar¬ 
rative of that disaster, the following is not the least 
interesting. 

When the vessel was abandoned, a portion of 
the crew betook themselves to a raft, which had 
been temporarily constructed from some of the 
spars of the ill-fated ship, and after passing thir¬ 
teen days on this fiail vessel, subjected to the pri- 





THE MYSTIC TIE. 


11 


vaticn of food and drink, and exposed to the burn¬ 
ing rays of a tropical sun, which produced in many 
of them the most frightful forms of madness, they 
were at length relieved from their perilous situa¬ 
tion, after one hundred and thirty-five had perished 
of the hundred and fifty who originally embarked. 

On the shore they were crowded into a hospital, 
where medicaments, and even the common neces¬ 
saries of life were wanting. An English merchant 
went to see them ; one of the poor unhappy wretches 
made the sign of a Freemason in distress; it was 
understood, and the Englishman instantly said, 
“ My Brother, you must come to my house, and 
make it your home.” The Frenchman nobly re¬ 
plied, “ My Brother, I thank you, but I cannot 
leave my companions in misfortune.” “ Bring them 
with you,” was the answer; and the hospitable En¬ 
glishman maintained them all until he could place 
them beyond the reach of misfortune. 

MASONIC FRIENDSHIP. 

The following anecdote was contributed to the 
Freemasons’ Quarterly Review, by the individual 
who was one of the actors in this scene of Masonic 
friendship. By the way, it may be remarked, that 
Don Miguel has always been considered as the beau 
ideal of an anti-mason, and was not less distin¬ 
guished for his persecution of the order, than he 
was for his desecration of every thing else that was 
pure, or true, or noble. 

“ The son of a Portuguese nobleman and myself 
spent some few years of our early youth together; 
the friendship of boyhood was interrupted by the 
changes consequent on our relative stations. He 
returned to his family; I embarked in commercial 




12 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 




pursuits. In 1828, my engagements directed me to 
Lisbon, where our former friendship was renewed, 
and, if possible, with increased warmth on both 
sides. My friend was aid-de-camp to Don Miguel; 
and as a mark of respect to my feelings, he became ; 
a Freemason, and paid very considerable attention 
to its observances and dictates. If not altogether 
inseparable, we were mutually bound by a tie of 
deep interest; our tastes agreed in every particular; 
he delighted in my prospect of commercial success ; 
and although, as an Englishman, I did not approve 
of Don Miguel, the position of my friend led me to ' 
look on that policy with less severity than might 
otherwise have been the case. 

“My friend one day called on me, evidently in a 
disturbed state of mind, and told me that he was 
about to prove to me, as a Mason, how powerfully 
he reverenced his obligation. ‘The King,’ said 
he, ‘has decreed the arrest of forty gentlemen now, 
on board the Duke of York steamer: they are libe¬ 
rals, and are of your opinions. When taken, there 
will be no chance of their lives. The order is now p 
in my office, awaiting my signature; I will take 
care not to return until you shall have had time to 
apprize them of their danger: there shall be three j 
hours clear for such purpose, and a boat with four 
men is read} r . One hug—it may be the last!’ We 
did not speak—he left me. 1 hastened to fulfil his 
command, reached the boat, and being an English¬ 
man, my dashing through a number of armed boats 
was merely ascribed to some frolic. I gained the 
steamer, and, as may be expected, surprised the ; 
party by my information. They immediately left, 
in boats, and rowed to the Pyramus, and were re¬ 
ceived by Captain Sartorinus, who protected them, 
and thus their lives were saved.” 




THE MYSTIC TIE. 


13 


MASONRY AT WATERLOO. 

Clavel relates the following incident, as another 
testimony of the happy influence which Masonry 
exerts in softening the harsher and more revolting 
features of the battle-field. Well did Gen. Shields 
observe, on the occasion of the reception of himself 
and Gen. Quitman by the Grand Lodge of South 
Carolina, after their return from Mexico, in Decem¬ 
ber, 1847, that “it was not until he was placed in. 
the battle field, and saw and partook of the fierce 
conflict of man with man, that he was able to ap¬ 
preciate the benign principles of that Order which 
humanized and civilized the human heart, and sof¬ 
tened even the harsh features of war.” But to 
recur to the incident at Waterloo. 

On the memorable 16th June, 1815, at the mo¬ 
ment when the allied army commenced a retrograde 
movement, a Scotch field-officer, who had been se¬ 
riously wounded in the affair of Quatre Bras, was 
left on the field of battle. Trampled on by the 
French cavalry, he thought but of death, when he 
perceived the French patrols, who came to succor 
the wounded. Rallying the little strength that re¬ 
mained, he endeavored to raise himself on his knees, 
and at all hazards, and in a faint voice, he called on 
the brethren for aid. Notwithstanding the dark¬ 
ness, and the feebleness of his voice, in its piteous¬ 
ness, he attracted the attention of a French surgeon, 
who, recognizing in him a Brother, hastened to his 
aid. His wounds were numerous—and the means of" 
transportation insufficient—but necessity made the 
professional Brother vigorous. He first dressed those 
wounds which presented the most formidable dan¬ 
ger, and then raised and carried his patient to the sick. 

2 


14 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


quarters—placed him on his own pallet—watched 
by his side—and finally caused him to be conveyed 
to Valenciennes, where he was warmly recom¬ 
mended to his friends, from whom the officer re¬ 
ceived the kindest attention, and by whose care he 
was completely restored to health. 

THE LUCKY SUBALTERN. 

The following anecdote is given on the authority 
of Dr. James Burnes, Provincial Grand Master for. 
Western Africa, by whom it was related at a Ma¬ 
sonic festival in India, and who received it from 
Col. Logan, an officer in the Peninsular War, but 
not himself a Mason. 

During that war, a whole batallion of the 4th 
regiment of British Infantry had been taken prison¬ 
ers by the French, and in accordance with the pre¬ 
datory habits, which too often characterized the war, 
had been stripped of every thing of value. Several of 
the officers were bemoaning their unhappy lot, cast in 
a dreary abode, and deprived of all the comforts, and 
many of the necessities of life, when, to their great 
surprise, one of their companions, a subaltern of the 
corps, in full dress, passed by with light step and 
happy countenance. What could be the reason of 
this marked difference in treatment? How was it, 
that while they were in rags and in want, plundered, 
and depressed in spirits, this lieutenant was per¬ 
mitted to retain his property, and was treated with 
a degree of attention to which, it was evident, his 
military rank did not entitle him ? By what potent 
talisman had he converted the gloomy tint of the 
fortune of war into a “ couleur de rose?” To them 
the explanation was at first difficult, but after all it 



THE MYSTIC TIE. 


15 


was exceedingly simple. It had been discovered 
by his captors that the subaltern was a Mason, and 
as in the French army, in the times of Bonaparte, 
almost every officer belonged to the craft, he had 
been quickly recognized as a Brother; his uniform 
and baggage had been at once restored to him, and 
he was then on his way to dine, by special invita¬ 
tion, with his illustrious Brother, the French Field 
Marshal. 


THE ROBBER OF THE DESERT. 

The London Freemasons’ Review for December, 
1841, contains the following anecdote, which is 
another evidence of the influence of Masonic phi¬ 
lanthropy over the heart of the barbarian. 

It is now some twenty years since Capt. E., late 
a member of one of the English University Lodges, 
was travelling in Egypt. The Captain was accom¬ 
panied by his servant, an active and intelligent 
young man; they were attacked in the desert by 
the Arabs ; the Captain made a very resolute stand, 
and slew two of the robbers. He was, with his 
servant, soon overpowered, and they were conveyed 
to the robbers’ retreat, when they were separated. 
It was determined that the Captain’s life should be 
forfeited, and he awaited his cruel destiny with as 
much fortitude as a brave man could feel. Instead 
of this awful sentence, he was, however, agreeably 
surprised in the morning by his servant’s approach, 
with the joyful intelligence that his sentence was 
not only remitted, but that he was at liberty to re¬ 
sume his journey ; and this retributive justice was 
accompanied by the restoration of every article of 
the property of which he had previously been plun- 



16 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


derecl. Is it to be wondered at, that his gratitude 
to his servant ended in his taking early steps to 
claim a nearer association to him as a Brother in the 
Craft, for by the exchange of the mysterious secret, 
the robber of the desert had kept his faith with a 
Brother. The servant and the Arab were both Ma¬ 
sons, and through the former the master had re¬ 
ceived the benefits of the mystic tie. 

THE DISTRESSED WIDOW. 

Brother Joseph R. Chandler, Past Grand Master 
of Pennsylvania, and now President of the Girard 
College in Philadelphia, in an address delivered in 
1844, “ On the Physical Benefits of Masonry,” re¬ 
cords the following interesting incident, which we 
give in his own language. The high character and 
exalted reputation of our illustrious Brother as a 
scholar, a man, and a Mason, are a sufficient war¬ 
rant for its truth. 

Not long since, a constable of Philadelphia was 
instructed by a large property holder, to proceed to 
make attachment of household furniture for rent 
dues. The distress would reach nearly all that the 
law allowed to take; and painful as was the task 
to the kind-hearted officer, it was, nevertheless, a 
duty. The tenant was a widow, with a little fa¬ 
mily of children. While the officer was sitting, 
distressed at the misery which he was compelled to 
inflict, the widow entered the room, bearing upon 
her the garments of her widowhood, whose fresh¬ 
ness showed the recency of her loss, and testifying, 
by her manner, the utter destitution to which this 
attachment was reducing her and her children. 

“I know not,” said she, “what to do. I have 
neither friend nor relation to whom to apply. I am 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


17 


alone—utterly alone—friendless, helpless, destitute 
—a widow.” 

“ But,” said the officer, “ is there no association 
upon which you have a claim?” 

“None! I am a member of no beneficial socie¬ 
ty,” she replied. “ But I remember,” she conti¬ 
nued, “ that my husband has more than once told 
me, that if I should ever be in distress, I might 
make this available,” and she drew out a Masonic 
jewel. “ But it is now too late, I am afraid.” 

“ Let me see it,” said the officer; and with a skill¬ 
ful eye he examined the emblem consecrated to cha¬ 
rity, as the token of brotherly affection. The officer 
was a Mason, he knew the name of the deceased, 
and recognized his standing. 

“ We will see,” said the officer, “what effect this 
will have, though the landlord is no Mason. Who 
is your clergyman?” The widow told him. The 
clergyman was a Mason. 

The attachment of goods was relinquished for a 
moment. The officer went to the clergyman, made 
known the distress of the widow, and her claims 
through Masonry. 

“ And who,” said the clergyman, “ is the land¬ 
lord ?” and the constable informed him. 

“Ah!” said the clergyman, “does his religion 
teach him to set us no*better example? We must 
show him what Masonry requires at our hands. I 
have spent all of the last payment of my salary, 
but here is my note at a short date for the amount 
due ; the landlord will scarcely refuse that.” 

In twenty minutes the rent was paid. The kind- 
hearted officer forgave his fees, and perhaps gave 
more, and the widow and the orphans blessed God 
for the benefits which they had enjoyed through 
Masonry. 

2* 


18 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


THE SHIPWRECK IN THE BALTIC. 

In the address quoted in the preceding article, 
Brother Chandler gives, in the following narrative, 
another instance of the benefit of Masonry, in the 
hour of distress. 

“It was in a tempestuous portion of the year 
1790, that a large ship, which was making a slow 
progress up the Baltic sea, found itself suddenly 
wrapt in one of those wild gales that came down 
from the mountain gaps, sacrificing nearly all that 
stood in its course, and 

* Reared up the Baltic to a foaming fury.’ 

“In this situation, after gallant resistance to the 
tempest, the overladen vessel succumbed, and man 
after man was swept from the deck, and carried on¬ 
ward ‘ down the wind,’ to be dashed upon the rocks of 
a lee-shore, or to be carried fathoms below the stormy 
surface. When, at length, the vessel struck upon 
the shelving shore, towards which she had drifted, 
the remaining portion of the crew lashed themselves 
to the spars, and awaited the surge that should 
wash them from the deck; it came booming on¬ 
ward : of the few that had been spared thus far, 
one only—the master of th£ vessel—reached the 
land. He reached it exhausted—inanimate; his 
first recognition was the kindly care of a friend, in 
the chamber of a sordid hovel—a chamber whose 
darkness was dispelled by the light of friendship, 
and where pains were assuaged by the attention of 
one pledged to help, aid, and assist. 

“ The first word of the sufferer was responded to 
by the kindly voice of a Mason ; unintelligible, in¬ 
deed, excepting in the language of Masonry. Dis- 



THE MYSTIC TIE. 


19 


tance of birth, and variety of profession, constitu¬ 
ted no bar to their humanity. The utter ignorance 
of each—of the other’s vernacular language—hin¬ 
dered not the delightful communion. A little jewel 
that rested on the bosom of the shipwrecked mari¬ 
ner, denoted his Masonic character: kindness, fra¬ 
ternal goodness, and love, were the glorious res¬ 
ponse ; and when the watchful and untiring benevo¬ 
lence of the Swedish Mason had raised up the suf¬ 
ferer from the bed of pain and suffering, true Ma¬ 
sonic charity supplied his purse with the means of 
procuring a passage to London, whence a return to 
the United States was easy. 

“ The jewel of the shipwrecked Brother is now 
in my possession—as his blood, also, flows through 
my veins. 1 hold the former as a rich heir-loom for 
my family, to be transmitted to my son as a Mason, 
as it was transmitted by my father to me.” 


PUTNAM’S RESCUE. 

Gen. Israel Putnam, subsequently so much dis¬ 
tinguished in the Revolution, commanded, during 
the old French and English war, a corps of parti- 
zans on the Northern frontier. In a skirmish with 
the Indian allies of the French he was taken cap¬ 
tive. The bravery and enterprize of Putnam made 
him no ordinary prize, and as a usual expression of 
their high respect for his character as a soldier, it 
was determined, by his savage captors, that the ut¬ 
most ingenuity of torture should be exercised in 
putting him to death. Putnam was therefore bound 
to the stake, and the faggots piled around him, ready 
for ignition. In this extremity, he was about con¬ 
signing himself to utter despair, when he beheld a 


20 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


French officer approaching. Putnam was a Ma¬ 
son, and with the precarious, but only remaining 
hope, that the Frenchman might be a member of 
the fraternity, he spoke to him in the mysterious, 
but universal language of the craft, and made that 
appeal which is so sure to reach the Mason’s heart. 
It was seen and felt, and quickly responded to. 
For notwithstanding the danger of disappointing a 
crowd of Indians preparing to feast upon the ago¬ 
nies of a tortured enemy, the Frenchman rushed 
through the band of savages, and severing the cords 
that bound his Brother to the stake, he rescued the 
life of Putnam at the imminent peril of his own. 
Putnam, through all his subsequent adventures, 
never failed to admit that he owed his life to Ma¬ 
sonry; and acknowledged that nothing but the 
force of the Masonic appeal, would have induced 
the French officer to risk the danger of displeasing, 
or exciting his Indian allies, by thus rescuing their 
conquered and already condemned victim from the 
stake. 


THE TALISMANIC HORN. 

“ I was General Park’s orderly this night,” says 
the author of* Uetrospects of a Military Life,’ “and 
had a good roof over my head, and the dry floor of 
a cart shed, with plenty of dry straw for a bed; 
but my poor wife was absent, for the first time since 
we left home. She was detained, along with se¬ 
veral other women, on the right shore of the Adour, 
until the bridge was repaired. AVhile this was 
doing, one of the women belonging to the regiment, 
begged her to take care of her little ass colt, with a 
couple of bundles, until she should get back to St. 



THE MYSTIC TIE. 


21 


Severe, to make some purchases; she complied, 
and before the other returned, the bridge was re¬ 
paired. Our regiment had passed, and she fol- 
! lowed, driving the ass colt before her; but before 
j she got to the further end, the stubborn animal stood 
still, and would not move a foot. Another regiment 
was advancing, the passage was impeded, and 
what to do, she knew not. She was in the act of 
removing the woman’s bundles from the beast’s 
back, and struggling to get out of the way, deter¬ 
mined to leave the animal, when a grenadier of the 
advancing regiment, casting his eyes on a finely po¬ 
lished horn with Masonic arms cut on it, and slung 
over her shoulder, stepped aside, saying, ‘Poor 
creature, I shall not see you struggling here, for the 
sake of what is slung by your side;’ at the same 
time, handing his musket to one of his comrades, he 
lifted the colt in his arms, and carried it to the end 
of the bridge. My poor wife thanked him with the 
tear in her eye, the only acknowledgment she could 
make for his kindness ; but she has often thought of 
it since, and congratulated herself on having the 
good fortune to have that horn, empty as it was, 
with its talismanic hieroglyphic, slung by her side 
on that occasion; and thus to raise up a friend, 
when she was so much in need of one.” 


MASONRY IN BOHEMIA. 

The Masons of Bohemia are distinguished for the 
punctuality with which they discharge the duties 
and obligations of the order. Of the truth of this 
fact, the following anecdote, related in Smith’s 
“Use and Abuse of Freemasonry,” will afford a 



22 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


sufficient exemplification. Smith says the circum¬ 
stance was communicated to him by the officer him- 
self. 

A Scotch gentleman, in the Prussian service, was 
taken prisoner at the battle of Lutzen, and was con¬ 
veyed to the city of Prague, together with four hun¬ 
dred of his companions in arms; as soon as it was 
known that he was a Mason, he was released from 
confinement; he was invited to the tables of the 
most distinguished citizens; and requested to con¬ 
sider himself as a Freemason, and not as a pri¬ 
soner of war. About three months after the en¬ 
gagement, an exchange of prisoners was effected, 
and the Scotch officer was presented by the frater¬ 
nity with a purse of sixty ducats, to defray the ex¬ 
penses of his journey home. 

In 1/76 there were four Lodges in the city of 
Prague, all equally remarkable for their intelligence 
and their benevolence. In that year they erected an 
Orphan House by their unaided exertions. On the 
28th of February, 1784, the river Eger having over¬ 
flowed its banks, the city of Prague was almost en¬ 
tirely inundated, on which occasion, the members 
of the Lodge of “ Truth and Concord” were distin¬ 
guished for their intrepidity in rescuiug numbers 
of the inhabitants from a watery grave. Immedi¬ 
ately afterwards the four Lodges made a collection 
among themselves for the sufferers, which amounted 
to fifteen hundred florins; and not content with this 
liberality, they deputed a committee, consisting of 
their most eloquent members, who stationed them¬ 
selves at the doors of the various churches, and by 
moving appeals to the feelings of the congregations, 
succeeded in collecting eleven thousand florins more, 
which they distributed among the most destitute. 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


23 


It is not surprizing, that until its suppression by the 
Austrian government, Freemasonry was an object 
of respect and veneration to all classes of the po¬ 
pulation of Bohemia.* 

THE BROKEN MERCHANT. 

In an address which has already been quoted in 
this work, Brother Joseph R. Chandler relates the 
following “ower true tale.” We are more than 
half inclined to suspect, that the generous benefac¬ 
tor in this case was Brother Chandler himself. 

“Many years since,” says Brother Chandler, 
“ but within my own recollection, and generally 
under my own observation, the respectable firm of 
Howard & Thompson, (I use fictitious names,) in 
the city of-, fell into some commercial difficul¬ 

ties, which the limited capital of the junior partner 
was unable to surmount. The senior partner, with 
the aid of friends, compromised the debts, continued 
the business in his own name, and became, in time, 
a wealthy man. 

“ Thompson lacking energy of character, but pos¬ 
sessing some piide, declined a subordinate station 
in a counting-room, until his habits became so bad, 
that he was deemed unfit for any place of trust; 
and he sunk from respectability to utter destitution 
and misery, with a rapidity I never saw before, nor 
since, equalled in any man to whom crime was not 
to be imputed. 

“ He became brutified : whole days would he lie 
on the public wharves, drunken with the liquor 
which he had extracted from the hogsheads being 
landed at the time; and his rags hung upon him so 


See Clavel’s Hist. Pittoresque de la Franc-ma<;onnerie, p. 131. 





24 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


carelessly, that decency stood aghast at his appear¬ 
ance.—He was not merely a drunkard, but he was 
drunk all the time; and to him soberness was a 
rarity. He had not only lost all moral standing, all 
name of, or claim to, decency, but self-respect had 
fled, and he was the nearest approach, in habits 
and appearance, to the brute, that I ever saw in 
man. 

“ One day—it was a clear sunshine of January— 
Thompson had thrown himself against the Southern 
angle of a public building; and about noon, as the 

members of the-came from the Halls, he looked 

for a little eleemosynary aid, that would enable him 
to add a loaf of bread to his more easily acquired 
liquor. But member after member passed on—the 
case was too disgusting to excite sympathy; one 
member only was left; he came round the corner 
of the building towards the place of egress from the 
premises, and attracted by the appearance of the 
wretch before him, he was about to offer alms, 
when, looking closer, he exclaimed, “Are not you 
Thompson?” “Yes.” “ Well, here is something 
—but we are watched, come to my office this eve¬ 
ning.” 

“ Thompson kept the promise, and presented him¬ 
self at the office. He was not seen again for seve¬ 
ral weeks, and, if any thought of him, it was to 
congratulate themselves that they were relieved 
from the presence of such a squalid wretch. 

“About two months afterwards, as the troops of 
the United States marched through the city, on their 
way to the North-western frontiers, Thompson was 
seen in the manly uniform, and wearing the neat 
plain epaulette of a lieutenaut of infantry. He ac¬ 
quitted himself like a man, and died honorably a 
captain in the service. 



THE MYSTIC TIE. 


25 


“ The world recollected that Thompson had been 
a member of one or two companies and associa¬ 
tions, of which his patron and friend had been the 
principal; and they imputed the kindness which 
lifted him from the degradation, to a social feeling 
on the part of his benefactor. 

“But there are others, who knew that the bene- 
j factor was Master of a Lodge, where Thompson 
was once an active and useful member; and that, 
had appeals to the Master’s good feelings been ear¬ 
lier made, much suffering and disgrace would have 
been spared; as it was, the relieved died a captain 
in the service, and the reliever lived to be Grand 
Master of a Grand Lodge. 

“ Beautiful illustration this, of the power of Ma¬ 
sonry to do good. How instructive would it be in 
us, my Brethren, to know just what passed in the 
evening’s interview between these two Masons. To 
know the persuasions on the part of the senior, and 
the willing yieldings of the erring junior; to have 
witnessed the new gush of self-respect—its bright 
return to the heart—when it was proposed that he 
should hold a commission; and that there was one 
who not only could have influence with the govern¬ 
ment to procure the appointment, but still more, 
would have confidence in him, to be responsible for 
his future virtue. We may not lift the veil, my 
Brethren, to look in upon the scene. Masonry, 
while she works such good, tiles the door, and lets 
others judge of the means by the beauty and ex¬ 
cellence of the ends.” 

THE FRENCH PRIVATEERSMAN. 

In the month of December, 1812, during the war 
between England and France, the sloop Three 
3 





26 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


Friends,* Capt. James Campbell, trading from Li¬ 
merick, in Ireland, was captured by the French pri¬ 
vateer Juliet, commanded by Capt. Louis Maren- 
court. Signals of Masonry were exchanged be¬ 
tween the two captains, when the French com¬ 
mander, finding in his prisoner a brother of the mys¬ 
tic tie, immediately gave him and his crew their li¬ 
berty, and restored the ship and cargo. 

On the 6th of February, 1813, Capt. Marencourt, 
who was then in command of another privateer, Le 
Furet, was captured by the British frigate Modeste, 
and sent as a prisoner of war to Plymouth. When 
the news of Capt. Marencourt’s misfortune reached 
Limerick, the residence of his former prisoner, two of 
the Lodges of that city were convened, and unani¬ 
mously adopted resolutions, which, as they afford an 
evidence of that kind and brotherly spirit, which, not 
even the asperities of war can erase from the Masonic 
breast, are entitled to a place in such a work as this. 
The letters will be found in Joyce Gold’s “ Naval 
Chronicle,” vol. xxix., pages 194 and 195, whence 
I have extracted them. 

At a meeting of Ancient Limerick Lodge No. 
271, holden in the city of Limerick, on Thursday, 
the 18th of February, 1813, the following resolu¬ 
tions were unamimously agreed to. 

“ Resolved, That the thanks of this ancient body 
be, and are hereby presented to Capt. Louis Maren¬ 
court, of Le Furet, French privateer, (lately cap¬ 
tured by the Modeste, British frigate,) for his gene¬ 
rous, humane, and praiseworthy conduct to Brother 
James Campbell, of the sloop Three Friends, of 


* We are ready to suppose, as an ingredient in the romance of this 
incident, (although it is but a conjecture,) that the name of the “ Three 
Friends” was intended as an allusion to Solomon, King of Israel, and 
the two Hirams. 




THE MYSTIC TIE. 


27 




Youghall, in restoring to him his ship and cargo, 
and rescuing himself and crew from captivity, in 
December last, when captured by him, at the time 
he commanded the Juliet French privateer. 

“ Resolved,- That as men peculiarly attached by 
the most unshaken loyalty to our most gracious 
Sovereign and the British Constitution, we exult at 
the prosperity of his Majesty’s arms both by sea 
and land—yet, as Masons, we are bound to commi¬ 
serate the unfortunate, and pour out the balm of con¬ 
solation into the wounds of those who are deprived 
of the greatest blessing in life—Liberty. 

“Resolved, That we sympathize with Capt. Ma- 
rencourt, in his present state of captivity and ab¬ 
sence (perhaps from a family and most tender con¬ 
nexions,) yet, at the same time, we must console 
him with the pleasing reflection, that he is a prisoner 
in a land, and under a government, whose monarch 
has been, through a long reign, the father of his peo¬ 
ple, and the friend to the unfortunate—and we most 
ardently hope, that the man who has held forth to 
the world, so meritorious a pattern of generosity and 
kindness to a British subject, when in his power, 
may meet with that lenity which his former conduct 
so loudly calls for. 

“Resolved, That these our resolutions be trans¬ 
mitted, by our Secretary, to the Worshipful Master 
of No. 79, at Plymouth, and that he be requested to 
communicate them to Capt. Marencourt, and the 
Officers and Brethren of the Lodge. 

“Resolved, That the foregoing resolutions be in¬ 
serted in our Transaction Book, and published in 
the Limerick newspapers, and in the Dublin Eve¬ 


ning Post.” 

Rising Sun Lodge No. 952, of Limerick, also una¬ 
nimously adopted the following resolutions. 



28 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


“Resolved, That we do fully approve of the re¬ 
solutions entered into by our Brethren of Lodge 
No. 271, expressive of their thanks to Capt. Maren- 
court, lately captured by the Modeste British frigate, 
for his humane and generous conduct to Captain 
Campbell, of the sloop Three Friends, in Decem¬ 
ber last, in not only restoring him to liberty and his 
country, but with the disinterestedness of a true Ma¬ 
son, giving him his sloop and cargo, captured by 
Captain Marencourt, when commander of the Juliet 
privateer. 

“ Resolved, That generosity, even in an enemy, 
has a peculiar claim on Britons and Irishmen—it is 
characteristic of those countries to feel and cherish 
its influence. We cannot, therefore, suppress the 
expression of our sympathy for the present capti¬ 
vity of this generous Brother and stranger; and 
could we constitutionally supplicate the high per¬ 
sonage who now rules these realms, and who in 
himself is a splendid example of the purity of Ma¬ 
sonic principles, we would implore his royal inter¬ 
position in favor of Captain Marencourt, fortified as 
we are by the Christian maxim of ‘ Do unto others 
as you would wish to be done by.’ 

“ Resolved, That our Secretary be instructed to 
transmit a copy of these resolutions to our Right 
Worshipful Brother and Grand Master, the Earl of 
Donoughmore, as the sentiments of our Lodge, and 
that we ardently hope some measure, not inconsist¬ 
ent with the high offices of the State, may be speed¬ 
ily adopted, to give efficacy to our prayer, so that 
our nation may not yield to an enemy, in generosity 
or gratitude. 

“ Resolved, That our Secretary do also send a 
copy of these resolutions to the Worshipful Master, 
Officers, and Brethren of No. 79 at Plymouth, and 



THE mystic tie. 


29 


that they be requested to communicate the same to 
Captain Marencourt. 

“ Resolved, That these our resolutions be pub¬ 
lished in the General Advertiser, or Limerick Ga¬ 
zette, and Limerick Evening Post, and that our 
highly esteemed Brother, Alexander MacDonnell, 
proprietor of the Advertiser, be requested to trans¬ 
mit the same to the proprietors of the Freeman’s Jour¬ 
nal and Patriot, Dublin, and the Globe, London.” 

Lodge No. 13 of Limerick, was equally ready to 
bestow its commendations on the gallant and gene¬ 
rous Frenchman, and as a testimonial of its high 
opinion of the Masonic conduct of Captain Maren¬ 
court, it voted him a silver vase of the value of one 
hundred guineas, on which was engraved the fol¬ 
lowing inscription : 

“ To Captain Louis Marencourt, of the French 
privateer Le Furet, to commemorate the illustrious 
example of Masonic virtue his conduct to Captain 
Campbell displays, the Brethren of Lodge No. 13 
on the registry of Ireland, present and dedicate this 
cup.—Limerick, 1st May, 1813.” 

The vase was sent, through the British Consul, 
to the Grand Lodge of France ; but the gallant Ma¬ 
rencourt had, in the mean time, lost his life in Af¬ 
rica,* and the vase was returned to the Lodge, 
where it is still preserved as its brightest ornament. 


* The circumstance of his so soon after losing his life in Africa, might 
lead us to suppose that Marencourt was liberated by the English gov¬ 
ernment, on the representation of his Brethren of the Limerick Lodge ; 
but a diligent search among such periodicals of the time as have been 
accessible to me, has not been successful in obtaining an official state¬ 
ment of that fact. He was a prisoner of war at Plymouth in the month 
of February, and a few months afterwards is known to have died in Af¬ 
rica—he could not then have long been a prisoner, and it is but fair to 
presume, that this brief period of his captivity is to be attributed to the 
just appreciation of his generosity by the British government, espe¬ 
cially as the Prince Regent was himself a brother of the craft. 






30 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


ANOTHER PRIVATEERSMAN. 

The following account of an occurrence which 
took place in the year 1813, during the French and 
English war, and which was related by Brother 
Bushell, Deputy Provincial Grand Master for Bris¬ 
tol, on the occasion of an installation in that city, 
may serve as an appropriate sequel to the narra¬ 
tive contained in the preceding article. 

“ It happened,” says Brother Bushell, “ that an 
English vessel, in sailing from the Mediterranean 
to Bristol, was siezed by a French privateer. The 
captains of both vessels were Masons. The result 
was most satisfactory. The captain of the priva¬ 
teer released the vessel, the cargo of which was 
valued at <£8000, and bade his Brother go his way, 
and reach, if he could, his native shore in safety. 
That Brother arrived safely at Bristol, and, at the 
first opportunity, he repaired to the Grand Lodge, 
and there, in the presence of the Brethren assem¬ 
bled, he stated these facts. And moreover, he pro¬ 
duced a written agreement, into which he had en¬ 
tered with the captain of the privateer. And these 
were the conditions: He gave up the vessel and 
cargo on condition that the master of the prize, on 
his return to Bristol, should endeavor to communi¬ 
cate with the Grand Lodge of England, and obtain 
the release of three Frenchmen. The Grand Lodge 
took a course suggested to them by his late Royal 
Highness, the Duke of Sussex. The Frenchmen 
were discovered, and they, with two others, left the 
British shores free men.” 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


31 


THE ORPHANS. 

Brother Bush ell, on the occasion above referred 
to, related also the following interesting incident. 

“ There lived in the county of Essex, a clergy¬ 
man named Hewlett. He died of malaria. His 
troubles had been of no common kind. His wife had 
died of consumption, about three months previously, 
and nine orphan children were left without a shil¬ 
ling in the world to provide for them. There was a 
Lodge in Rochford, Essex : they met, took the case 
into consideration, and before they separated, nine 
Brethren agreed each, to take a child to his home.” 

“ This,” said Brother Bushell, u is what I mean 
by the practical duties of Freemasonry.” 

This anecdote furnishes an inference too impor¬ 
tant to be passed in silence. When it is urged as 
an objection to Freemasonry, that in its charities it 
is eminently exclusive, (an objection that will be 
discussed in another part of this work,) we may 
proudly point to the nine Brethren of Rochford, as 
an evidence that the charities of our Order know 
no narrow or sectarian limit, and that though we are 
ever ready to hear and answer the calls of our 
own household, our ears are not deaf to the cries of 
the distressed, from whatsoever direction they may 
come. The clergyman of Essex was not a mem¬ 
ber of the craft, but the destitute condition of his 
orphans was not a spectacle to be seen and not felt, 
or felt and not relieved, by the craftsmen who were 
laboring in erecting a spiritual building, the topmost 
stone of which was charity. 





32 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 




dispensing with a supper. 

I was present, a few years since, at a communi¬ 
cation of one of the Lodges in the city of Charles¬ 
ton, South Carolina, (St. Andrew’s No. 10,) when 
an application from the widow of a Mason for cha¬ 
rity was read by the Worshipful Master. It was 
the custom then of that Lodge, as it was of many 
others, to sit down, at frequent seasons, to a plenti¬ 
ful, though not extravagant supper, after the labors 
of the evening had been closed. On the present oc¬ 
casion, after the letter had been read, and while the 
members were consulting as to the amount of relief 
which the Lodge could afford to give, the Senior 
Warden arose in his place, and remarked as follows: 

“Worshipful Sir,—The supper of which the 
Lodge will partake, at the next meeting, will cost 
at least twenty-five dollars ; this amount, however, 
I propose to save to the Lodge ; I therefore suggest 
that we abandon the idea of a supper, and that the 
amount which it would cost be bestowed upon the 
widow, whose letter lies on your pedestal.” The 
motion was carried by acclamation. The Brethren 
dispensed with the supper, and enjoyed a far more 
delicious feast in the thought, that, in thus resigning a 
transient enjoyment, they had contributed to the 
comfort of a Brother’s widow. 

It was at the same worthy Lodge, that, on another 
occasion, a question of some ordinary expenditure 
being under discussion, the Treasurer, by way of 
warning, reported that there was a deficiency in the 
usual available funds of the Lodge. The motion 
for the expenditure was therefore abandoned. In a 
subsequent part of the evening, an application for 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


33 


charity was read, and on a motion to grant it, a 
cautious brother alluded to the previous report of the 
Treasurer, when that officer replied ,* “ For the pur¬ 
poses of any other expenditure, the funds of our 
Lodge are low, but there is always enough to an¬ 
swer the claims of charity.” The expression was 
an enthusiastic one, and may be traced to the warm 
spirit of Masonic benevolence, which exists in thou¬ 
sands of Lodges—but it was not an exaggerated 
one, for the donation was ordered and paid. 

QUARTER GRANTED, 

The following interesting incident is recorded by 
Clavel, as having occurred at the close of the battle 
of Waterloo, on the 18th of June, 1815. 

About fifty Frenchmen, nearly all of them wound¬ 
ed, the heroic wreck of a square of two regiments 
of infantry, which had been almost exterminated by 
the discharge of a park of artillery, found them¬ 
selves, at the close of day, surrounded by a consi¬ 
derable force of the enemy. After having performed 
prodigies of valor, perceiving that it was impossible 
that they could effect a retreat, they reluctantly de¬ 
termined to lay down their arms. But the allies, ir¬ 
ritated at the loss which they had experienced from 
this handful of brave men, continued to fire on them. 
The French now perceived that their complete de¬ 
struction was inevitable, unless some miracle should 
save them. The lieutenant in command was sud¬ 
denly inspired with the thought, that this miracle 
might be achieved by Masonry. Advancing from 
the ranks, in the midst of a galling fire, he made 
the mystic appeal. Two Hanoverian officers per¬ 
ceived him, and by a spontaneous impulse they or- 




34 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


dered the firing to cease, without the customary eti¬ 
quette of consulting their commanding officer. Hav¬ 
ing provided for the safety of the prisoners, they re¬ 
ported themselves to their general for this breach of 
military discipline. He, however, who was also a 
Freemason, far from inflicting any-punishment, com¬ 
mended them, on the contrary, for their generous 
conduct. 


THE CORSAIR AND THE MINERVA. 

On the 14th of June, 1823, says Clavel, the Dutch 
merchant ship Minerva was on her way from Ba¬ 
tavia to Europe, having on board several wealthy 
passengers, and among diem, Brother Engelhardt, a i 
Past Deputy Grand Master of the French Lodges 
of India. When in the latitude of the Brazils, she 
was attacked by a Spanish privateer, which was 
provided with letters of marque from the govern¬ 
ment of the Cortes. After a sanguinary conflict she 
was compelled to surrender. The commander of the 
privateer, enraged at the obstinate resistance of the 
crew, ordered a general pillage and massacre. The 
work had already commenced, by several of the 
crew being tied to the masts, when the passengers, 
by the most earnest entreaties, succeeded in obtain¬ 
ing permission to repair on board of their captor. 
There they sought, but in vain, by offers and sup¬ 
plications, to soothe the rage of the commander. In 
this extremity, Brother Engelhardt resorted to means, 
upon the success of which he hardly dared to reckon. 
He appealed to the privateersman as a Mason. 
The captain, hitherto insensible to prayers and 
tears, now appeared to be moved. He was him¬ 
self, as well as many of his crew, Masons, and mem- 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


35 


bers of a Lodge at Ferol. But while acknowledg¬ 
ing the appeal, he was doubtful of the legitimate 
right to it, of the one who used it. The necessary 
proofs were however furnished, and among other 
things, a parchment diploma, which Engelhardt had 
thrown overboard during the combat, fearing that 
his captors might be enemies of Masonry, was re¬ 
covered as it floated on the waves. The Spanish 
captain once satisfied, recognized his Brethren, and 
restored to them their vessel and property; and 
after the necessary repairs had been made, allowed 
the Minerva to proceed, furnished with a safe-con¬ 
duct for the remainder of her voyage. 


ADOPTION OF A MASON’S SON. 


In the French rite, the son of a Mason is called 
a “lowton,” as among the English he is called a 
“ lewis,” and is entitled to the privilege of being 
initiated three years before his majority. 

In many of the Lodges of France there is an in¬ 
teresting custom, called “ the adoption of a lowton,” 
that is strongly characteristic of the brotherly 
love which is one of the distinguishing features of 
the Masonic Order. The proceedings on such an 
occasion are thus described by Clavel, in his “ His- 
toire Pittoresque de la Franc-maqonnerie.” 

In these Lodges, when the wife of a Mason is on 
the point of her accouchement, the Hospitaller, if 
he is a physician, and if not, a brother of that pro¬ 
fession, is sent to her dwelling, to inquire after her 
health, in the name of the Lodge, and to offer his 
professional services, and even pecuniary aid, if it 
is supposed to be needed. Nine days after her de- 






36 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


livery, the Worshipful Master and Wardens pay i 
her a visit of congratulation. 

If the infant is a boy, the Lodge is specially con¬ 
vened for the purpose of proceeding to the ceremony 
of adoption. The room is decorated with leaves , 
and flowers, and pots of incense are deposited in 
different parts. The child and his nurse are brought 
to the hall, before the opening of the Lodge, and 
placed in an ante-room. The Lodge is then opened, 
and the Wardens, who are appointed as god-fathers 
to the child, repair to the ante-room, accompanied 
by a deputation of five brethren. 

The chief of the deputation, in an address which 
he makes to the nurse, recommends to her, not only, 
carefully to watch over the health of her charge, ; 
but to cultivate his young intelligence, and to make j 
truth and good sense the subjects of her future con¬ 
versations with him. The child is then taken from 
the nurse by its father, or some other relative, and ! 
is introduced by the deputation into the Lodge, and ; 
conducted to the pedestal of the Master, where the 
procession halts, and the following conversation | 
takes place. 

“What bring you here, brethren ?” asks the Wor¬ 
shipful Master. 

“ The son of a brother,’’ replies the Senior War¬ 
den, “whom the Lodge is desirous of adopting.” 

“ What are. his names, and what Masonic name 
do you propose to give him?” 

The sponsor replies. He adds to the family and 
baptismal names of the child, another characteris¬ 
tic one, such as Truth , Devotion , or Benevolence , or 
some other of a similar kind, which is called the 
Masonic name. 

The Master then descends from the East, and ap¬ 
proaching the infant, and extending his hands over 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


37 


its head, implores Heaven to make it one day 
worthy of the love and care which the Lodge is 
about to devote to it. The incense is then burned; 
the sponsors rehearse after the Master, the obligations 
I of the Apprentice, in the name of the lowton; and he 
is invested with a white apron, and proclaimed, with 
due Masonic honors, as the adopted son of the Lodo-e. 

The Master now repairs to his seat, and the 
Wardens, with the infant, being placed in an ap¬ 
propriate position, he addresses to them a discourse, 
on the duties and obligations which they have as¬ 
sumed, as Masonic sponsors. To this the Ward¬ 
ens make a fitting reply, and the procession is again 
formed, and the child is reconducted to the ante¬ 
room, and restored to its nurse. 

This adoption engages the members of the Lodge 
to watch over the education of the child, and, at 
the proper time, to assist in establishing it in busi¬ 
ness. An account of the ceremonial is drawn up, 
signed by all the members, and transmitted to the 
father, and is used by the lowton, in after life, as a 
diploma to gain his early initiation into Masonry,* on 
which he renews, of course, those obligations taken 
for him in infancy by his sponsors. 

There is something'refreshing in this picture of 
the Masonic baptism of the Mason’s child. We 
look with a holy reverence on the performance of 
this rite, in which a new and sacred tie is estab¬ 
lished by the father and mother, through their 
child, with the fraternity of which the former is a 
member; and where, with the most solemn cere- 

* In the United States, where the York rite is practised with a nearer 
approach to its primitive purity, than in any other part of the world, 
this privilege of early admission into the order is not recognized. Here, 
the “lewis,” like every other candidate, must have reached the “law¬ 
ful age” of twenty-one, before he is eligible for initiation. 

4 



38 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


monies, and influenced only by an instinctive feel¬ 
ing of Masonic love, the members of the Lodge be¬ 
come the fathers—the protectors—the patrons of 
their Brother’s son—and promise for him, their help 
in the difficulties of the present time, their aid and 
encouragement in the hopes of the future. Surely 
there must be a blessing on the institution which 
thus brings forth, in the spirit of its charity, pro¬ 
tectors and guardians for the child, who cannot yet 
ask for protection or guardianship. 

FREEMASONRY AMONG PIRATES. 

Miss Martineau, who, by the way, was an anti¬ 
mason, and joined our enemies, when she was in 
this country, in their abuse of the institution, never¬ 
theless relates, in her “ Retrospect of Western Tra¬ 
vels,” the following anecdote, which is so favorable 
to the character of our Order, as to surprize us that 
candor had not at once induced her to disclaim all 
further opposition to an institution, to whose pane¬ 
gyric she has here contributed. 

“ Then came,” says Miss M., “ Capt. L., with his 
five fine daughters. He looked too old to be their 
father; and well he might. When master of a 
vessel, he was set ashore, by pirates, with his crew, 
on a desert island, where he was thirty-six days 
without food. Almost all his crew were dead, and 
he just dying—when help arrived by means of 
Freemasonry. Among the pirates was a Scotch¬ 
man, a Mason, as was Capt. L. The two ex¬ 
changed signs, The Scotchman could not give aid 
at the moment; but after many days of fruitless 
and anxious attempts, he contrived to sail back at 
the risk of his life, and landed on the desert island 
on the sixth day of his leaving it. He had no ex- 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


39 


pectation of finding the party alive; but to take 
the chance, and lose no time, he jumped ashore 
with a kettle full of wine in his hand. He poured 
wine down the throats of the few whom he found 
still breathing, and treated them so judiciously that 
they recovered. At least it was called recovery : 
but Capt. L’s. looks are very haggard and nervous 
still. He took the Scotchman home, and cherished 
him to the day of his death.” 

Another instance of the influence of Masonry 
upon the heart of a pirate, is related by Brother 
Charles Mocatta, Worshipful Master of one of the 
best Lodges in England, St. George’s Lodge of 
Harmony, held in Liverpool. 

Many years ago, when Brother Mocatta was on his 
return from South America to England, with all he 
possessed, and in his own vessel, he was boarded 
by a pirate. Among his papers was a Masonic 
; certificate, which the pirate Captain, himself a 
Freemason, although a fallen one, recognized. The 
usual tests were exchanged; after which the ma¬ 
rauder told him to let his men take away whatever 
; they pleased, which he would pay for, and when 
dusk came on, to steer in one direction, while he 
would take another. This was done, and Brother 
Mocatta arrived safely in England with his property. 

In the Freemasons’ Quarterly Review for March, 
1845, is contained a still more interesting anecdote 
of the sacred estimation in which the Masonic ties 
were held by a pirate. The particulars were com¬ 
municated by Brother Glen, a member of the Phoe¬ 
nix Lodge at Sunderland, England, at a meeting of 
the Lodge of Instruction, held at the George and 
Vulture tavern, Cornhill, London. 

In the year 1830, Brother Glen, who had not, then, 



40 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


been initiated into Masonry, was mate of a merchant 
vessel, which was filled with a general cargo, and 
bound for the Island of Cuba. The crew, besides 
the captain and mate, consisted of seven seamen ; 
when, within about three days’ sail of their port of 
destination, they discovered a suspicious looking 
schooner, apparently hovering in their course, and 
which, from her appearance and motions, they were 
fearful was a pirate. Being almost in a defenceless 
state, they were naturally much alarmed, and en¬ 
deavored, by altering their course, to avoid the 
schooner; but she, crowding all sail, bore down 
quickly upon them, and brought them to. The pi¬ 
ratical character of the schooner was now but too 
clearly apparent. The merchantman was boarded 
by twenty-five desperadoes, all armed with pistols 
and cutlasses; against such a numerous and well- 
armed force, resistance was out of the question. 
The captain of the pirate was a Spaniard ; he was 
accompanied by his lieutenant, who was dressed in 
a peculiar manner, with tight red pantaloons, and 
Brother Glen conjectured, from his appearance, that 
he was a Maltese. The captain, mate, and crew 
of the merchantman were immediately siezed, pis¬ 
tols were presented to their heads, and they were 
threatened with instant death, unless they immedi- 
ately gave up all the money on board. They had 
scarcely'any specie, and the pirate captain/being 
dissatisfied, proceeded to plunder the vessel of every 
thing which was valuable and portable, and then 
vowed, with the most horrid imprecations, that he 
would burn the vessel, and destroy all her crew. 
This ruffian spoke broken English, the other pirates 
spoke in Spanish. The unfortunate crew of the 
merchantman were now bound and secured in the 
fore part of the vessel. The captain and Brother 
Glen were also tied to two pillars in the cabin. 




THE MYSTIC TIE. 


41 


The work of plunder was finished, and the pirate 
captain had given directions for the destruction of 
the vessel by fire; gunpowder, tar-barrels, and 
other combustible materials were brought from the 
schooner, and placed on board the fated vessel in a 
manner best calculated to insure her speedy de¬ 
struction. Whilst these horrible proceedings were 
in progress, the cries and lamentations of the unfor¬ 
tunate crew were piteous in the extreme ; their sup¬ 
plications for mercy were, however, entirely disre¬ 
garded, and the train actually laid. At this awful 
juncture, the lieutenant of the pirates, who has be¬ 
fore been noticed, went aft and entered the cabin 
where Brother Glen and his captain were secured, 
his purpose being apparently to make a further 
search before leaving the vessel, for any thing va¬ 
luable which might previously have escaped obser¬ 
vation. Brother Glen and the captain were, as may 
well be imagined, in a most dreadful state of terror 
and alarm, expecting nothing less than instant death, 
and that in its most horrible shape. The captain 
happened, fortunately for himself and crew, to be 
a Mason. As a last resource, he attracted the pi¬ 
rate’s attention, and made the sign of an E. A. P.; 
the latter regarded him stedfastfully for an instant, 
and replied by making the sign of a F. C. Brother 
Glen was at that time ignorant of the meaning of 
these proceedings; but he did not fail to perceive 
that the countenance of his captain, before so anx¬ 
ious and terror-stricken, was instantly lighted up 
with joy and hope, whilst a glance of mutual intel¬ 
ligence passed between him and the pirate. Some 
further communication then passed between them; 
neither could understand the other’s language ; but 
in this short interval they had made themselves un¬ 
derstood by the universal medium of Masonry. The 
4 * 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


42 

lieutenant then returned to the deck, where, as it 
subsequently appeared, he dissuaded the captain of 
the pirates from his intention of burning the vessel, 
and induced him to abandon her and the crew with¬ 
out further injury. Shortly afterwards, the captain, 
and greater part of the pirates left, the lieutenant 
and five others remaining on board. The lieute¬ 
nant went again into the cabin, and wrote a short 
note in the Spanish language, which he carefully 
folded up and left upon the cabin table; he then 
with a knife cut the cords with which Brother Glen 
had been bound, and making a gesture of caution, 
left the ship with the remaining portion of the pi¬ 
rate’s crew. Brother Glen speedily released the 
captain, who then informed him that he had made 
himself known to the pirate as a Mason, and to that 
circumstance their deliverance must be attributed. 
After waiting, as they deemed, a sufficient time to 
allow the schooner to get out of sight, they cautious¬ 
ly proceeded to the deck, and released the crew. 
Their vessel had been completely ransacked, and 
was in a state of the utmost confusion ; they could 
see the train which had been laid for their destruc¬ 
tion ; they then carefully removed the combustibles, 
and returning thanks for their deliverance, again 
proceeded on their course. Nothing particular oc¬ 
curred until the second day following, when, to their 
utter consternation, they again espied the piratical 
schooner, which bore down upon them as before. 
They hoisted their English colors, when the pirate, 
recognizing the vessel as the same which had been 
recently pillaged, merely displayed his black flag, 
the terrible ensign of his dreadful calling, which he 
almost immediately lowered, and then altering his 
course, stood off without offering the merchantman 
any further molestation, and was seen by them no 



the mystic tie. 


43 


more. On the following day they arrived in port, 
when Brother Glen and the captain made a protest 
of the circumstances, and it was found that the let¬ 
ter, which had been left on the cabin table, was 
couched in the following terms :—“ Brother—Hav¬ 
ing recognized you as a Mason, I have induced the 
captain to spare the lives of yourself and crew—- 
but for this, you would all have perished.” It was 
subsequently discovered, that two American vessels 
had been destroyed by fire in those seas ; the crews 
of both perished, and, no doubt, under similar cir¬ 
cumstances. Brother Glen, on his return to En¬ 
gland, lost no time in asking admission into our Or¬ 
der, which, under Providence, had been the means 
of preserving his life. 


THE PRIZE RELEASED. 

On the 27th November, 1812, during the war be¬ 
tween England and France, a large and valuable 
fleet of English merchant-men set sail from Spit- 
head for the West Indies, under the convoy of the 
Queen, man-of-war. Soon after their departure, 
the convoy was dispersed by a violent gale of wind, 
and many of them captured by the French frigate 
Gloire, which was then cruizing between the West¬ 
ern Islands and Ferol. Among the captures, was 
the ship Princess Royal, of 400 tons, laden with 
supplies, and commanded by Capt. Alexander Fos¬ 
ter. On being taken on board of his captor, Capt. 
Foster made himself known as a Mason, to the com¬ 
mander of the frigate, by whom he was invited into 
the cabin. He was then told, that his appeal had 
been recognized; that the first duty which the 
Frenchman owed, was, to his country, and his Em- 



44 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


peror,—but that his next was, as a man and a Ma¬ 
son, “to serve a Brother in the hour of need.” 

The commander of the frigate, finding himself 
embarrassed with the number of his prisoners, but 
wishing to continue his cruize, thought this circum¬ 
stance would afford a favorable opportunity of serv¬ 
ing his English Brother, without any dereliction of 
duty to his Sovereign. He therefore restored his 
ship to Capt. Foster, to be used as a cartel, for the 
purpose of receiving all the prisoners, with which 
the French found themselves encumbered. The 
Princess Royal, thus liberated, proceeded, with the 
released prisoners, to Barbadoes, where they were 
landed; and pursuing her voyage to its ultimate 
destination at Jamaica, delivered her cargo, and re¬ 
turned in safety to London. 

Capt. Foster, under these peculiar circumstances, 
was advised to make an application to the Admi¬ 
ralty for salvage, and was actually awarded <£500; 
but his story being subsequently deemed doubtful 
and romantic, his vessel was seized, on the pre¬ 
sumption that she had been ransomed, and had con¬ 
sequently forfeited her privileges as a British ship; 
but after a searching investigation, the facts were 
proved, and she was liberated. 

The narrator of the incident, which was pub¬ 
lished in a London periodical, and authenticated 
by the Royal Somerset House and Inverness Lodge 
No. 4, was engaged in obtaining the release of the 
vessel of Capt. Foster, from her unjust seizure, and 
was so deeply impressed with this exhibition of 
brotherly love,*that he immediately united himself 
with the Masonic fraternity.* 


* The anecdote will be found in the 1st volume of Moore's Maga¬ 
zine, whence I have made this abridgement. 





THE MYSTIC TIE. 


45 


GENERAL GILLESPIE. 

Major General, Sir Robert Rollo Gillespie, lately 
a distinguished officer in the British Arn^, was, in 
the early part of his life, but after he had been ini¬ 
tiated into Masonry, engaged in the service of his 
country, in the West Indies, where he greatly dis¬ 
tinguished himself. At the island of St. Domingo, 
he had been selected by his commander-in-chief to 
be the bearer of a dispatch to Gen. Santhonax, the 
governor of the island, summoning him to surrender. 
In attempting to reach the shore, from the English 
squadron, his boat was upset, his flag of truce 
and papers lost, and he himself compelled to swim 
to the shore, with his sword in his mouth, having 
narrowly escaped several shots which were fired at 
him. On being brought before the governor, he 
was charged with being a spy, and threatened with 
instant execution. But espying Masonic devices on 
the governor’s buttons, he made himself known as 
a Brother of the mystic tie, and was recognized as 
such. He was immediately released, and after be¬ 
ing sumptuously entertained, was, by order of San¬ 
thonax, sent back to the squadron, with his compa¬ 
nions, under the protection of a guard. 

Gen. Gillespie, subsequently, in 1813, became a 
member of the Moira Lodge, which was estab¬ 
lished at Calcutta, by the Marquis of Hastings, on 
his arrival in India, as Governor General. 

THE POOR INDIAN. 

A correspondent of the Cincinnati Masonic Re¬ 
view, relates an interesting instance of the benevo¬ 
lent tendency of Freemasonry, which occurred in 
one of the Western States. 


46 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


One bright, but bitter winter evening in Novem¬ 
ber, after the ordinary business of-Lodge had 

been dispatched in peace and harmony, a Brother 
rose, and presented the case of a stranger in dis¬ 
tress—an Indian and a Mason, who, with his family, 
had recently arrived in the city. He had received 
a letter from him, detailing his destitute condition, 
and informing him, that “he had eaten his last 
morsel of bread” with his wife and children, and 
knew not where to look for a further supply. 

The letter closed with an appeal, which would 
have reached any benevolent heart, but, in an espe¬ 
cial manner, was calculated to thrill the heart of 
every Brother of the “ mystic tie.” An appropria¬ 
tion was promptly made, and a true and trusty Bro¬ 
ther selected, to hasten to the relief of the poor In¬ 
dian. He was found in a rude quarter, emaciated by 
sickness, surrounded by his tattered children, and in 
utter destitution. His wife, the faithful partner of 
his bosom, was absent, seeking, if possible, from the 
cold hand of public charity, a pittance, to supply 
their immediate pressing wants. A sprightly look¬ 
ing little girl, about ten years of age, was standing 
by a younger brother, who clung to her as the 
stranger entered, and communicated to his afflicted 
Brother the subject of his mission. 

The scene was one of intense feeling, and the 
worthy Brother, who had been the agent of the 
Lodge, in dispensing its aid to the destitute stranger, 
expressed its effect upon himself, by saying, shortly 
after the visit, “ Had I never before known any 
thing of the Masonic fraternity, or its benevolent 
actions, this one act would have been sufficient to 
convince me of its value, and wed my heart more 
strongly to an institution, so benevolent in its na¬ 
ture.” 



THE MYSTIC TIE. 


47 


MONSIEUR PREVEROT. 

In the year 1748, M. Preverot, an officer in the 
French navy, was unfortunately shipwrecked on an 
island, whose Viceroy was a Freemason. M. Pre¬ 
verot lost, with his ship, all his money and effects, 
and was thus reduced to utter destitution. In this 
condition, “ poor and penniless,” he presented him¬ 
self to the Viceroy, and related his misfortunes in a 
manner, which completely proved to that officer, 
that he was not only no impostor, but a Brother in 
distress. He was recognized, and they embraced 
each other as Brethren of the same order. The 
shipwrecked officer was forthwith conducted to the 
house of the Viceroy, who furnished him with all 
the comforts of life, until a ship, bound for France, 
touched at the island. Before his departure, the 
Viceroy loaded him with presents, and gave him as 
much money as was necessary for carrying him into 
his native country. 


THE CONVERTED CLERGYMAN. 

Brother J. F. Truslow relates the following an¬ 
ecdote of Masonic conversion, in an address, deli¬ 
vered by him, in 1847, before the Grand Lodge of 
Arkansas. 

A reverend gentleman, residing in one of the 
towns of the State of-, having connected him¬ 

self with the Masonic fraternity, the incident gave 
great offence to his ministerial brethren, and he was 
summoned before the ecclesiastical tribunal of the 
church, of which he was a member, for trial. His 
judges convened at the appointed time and place, 



48 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


and on his confession of the offence, demanded of 
him that he should formally renounce Freemasonry. 
This he peremptorily refused to do. It was conse¬ 
quently determined that he should be excommuni¬ 
cated ; and just as they were about to pass the sen¬ 
tence, which was to cut him off from the church, 
a venerable minister arose, and suggested, that the # 
matter should be dismissed for the present, and one 
of the brethren be appointed to join the Masonic fra¬ 
ternity, so as to be able, at the next meeting, to re¬ 
port the nature of the dark deeds, in which the ac¬ 
cused was supposed to have participated. The 
suggestion was considered a good one, and the ve¬ 
nerable proposer himself appointed to make the in¬ 
vestigation. Accordingly, he laid his petition be¬ 
fore a Lodge, and in due time became a Master Ma¬ 
son, the brethren knowing nothing of the circum¬ 
stances which led to his application for admission 
among them. At length the day, to which the ec¬ 
clesiastical court had been adjourned, arrived. The 
official functionaries met, and the committee of one 
was called upon for his report. It was made, but, 
to their astonishment, perhaps to their disappoint¬ 
ment, the substance of it was:—“You had better 
dismiss the charge, for there is no evil, but much 
good, in Freemasonry.” The effect was astound¬ 
ing, and the consequence was, an immediate ad¬ 
journment. 


THE TRIPOLITAN MASON. 

Mr. Thomas Power, of Boston, relates the follow¬ 
ing anecdote, the particulars of which he had re¬ 
ceived from Captain Sampson himself.* 

* See Moore’s Freemasons’ Monthly Magazine, vol. iv. p. 17 , to 
which work the anecdote was communicated by Mr. Power. 




THE MYSTIC TIE. 


49 


In the year 1795, the ship Betsy sailed from Bos¬ 
ton. The ship was commanded by Capt. Chapin 
Sampson, who was initiated as a Mason in the 
year 1793, in Liverpool. In the course of her voy¬ 
age, she was taken off Malaga, by a Tripolitan 
Xebec, and the vessel and all on board carried into 
Tripoli. Here Captain Sampson and his crew were 
stripped of their clothing, except a slight bit of cot¬ 
ton about their waists. Being the first Americans 
carried into Tripoli, he and his men were driven 
through the city chained, and were pelted by every 
offensive missile. He was then thrown into* a dun¬ 
geon, where he was kept a number of days. After 
that., he was taken out, and employed in taking 
the cargo out of his ship. While Captain Sampson 
was engaged in this business, a Tripolitan officer, 
called Hassan Bey, and sustaining a high official 
station in Tripoli, made himself known as a Free¬ 
mason. He said that he should do for him all in 
his power, but that if it were known he favored 
him, even his own life might be the forfeit. Cap¬ 
tain Sampson was soon liberated, was clothed, and 
I furnished with many comparative comforts. An 
1 opportunity of releasing him was found, and when 
he was about leaving Tripoli, Hassan Bey, still 
mindful of his masonic duties, made him many pre¬ 
sents. This worthy Tripolitan and faithful Brother, 

; was, as he said, made a Freemason in France. 

In 1845, Brother Sampson was still living, in 
Maine, at the advanced age of eighty, a consistent 
and adhering Brother, through all the dark storm of 
anti-masonry, which swept over the Northern States 
of our Republic. During that time of desolation and 
depression, in the language of the relator of this 
anecdote, “he carried his colors at the mast head.” 

5 




60 


THE MVSTIC TIE. 


THE COURTESY OF MASONRY. 

Lodge No. 227, under the jurisdiction of the 
Grand Lodge of Ireland, was attached, by a tra¬ 
velling warrant which had been granted in the 
year 1752, to the 46th regiment of the British army, 
while serving in America, during the war of the 
Revolution. The lodge chest, at one time, says 
the London Freemasons’ Review, “fell into the 
hands of the Americans; they reported the circum¬ 
stance to General Washington, who embraced the 
opportunity of testifying his estimation of Masonry, 
in the most marked and gratifying manner, by di¬ 
recting that a guard of honor, under a distinguished 
officer, should take charge of the chest, with many 
articles of value belonging to the 46th, and return 
them to the regiment. The surprize, the feeling of 
both officers and men, may be imagined, when they 
perceived the flag of truce, that announced this ele¬ 
gant compliment from their noble opponent, but still 
more noble brother. The guard of honor, with 
their flutes playing a sacred march—the chest, con¬ 
taining the Constitution and implements of the Craft, 
borne aloft, like another ark of the covenant, equally 
by Englishmen and Americans, who, lately engaged 
in the strife of war, now marched through the enfi¬ 
laded ranks of the gallant regiment, that, with pre¬ 
sented arms and colors, hailed the glorious act by 
cheers, which the sentiment rendered sacred as the 
hallelujahs of an angel’s song.” 

A similar courtesy was extended to this Lodge, 
on another, and subsequent occasion. In the year 
1805, while in the island of Dominica, the 46th re¬ 
giment was attacked by a French, force, war at 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


51 


that time existing between the governments of 
France and Great Britain, and again the Lodge 
had the misfortune to lose its chest, which was car¬ 
ried on board the French fleet, its captors having 
had no opportunity of discovering the nature of its 
contents. But, three years afterwards, when the 
character of the prize had become known, the 
French government, at the earnest request of the 
officers, who had commanded the expedition, re¬ 
turned the chest, with several complimentary pre¬ 
sents, as a tribute from an enlightened nation, to the 
excellence and sacred character of the masonic in¬ 
stitution. 

In 1834, the warrant of constitution of this Lodge 
was renewed by the Grand Lodge of Ireland, on 
which occasion, these interesting incidents in its his¬ 
tory were elicited from the records. 

Of the ultimate fate of a Lodge, whose vicissi¬ 
tudes in war form so interesting a portion of the an¬ 
nals of Freemasonry, it is fortunate that we can fur¬ 
nish the history. The Lodge became again dor¬ 
mant, but was revived on the 28th of March, 1848, 
and established permanently, in Montreal, as “ The 
Lodge of Social and Military Virtues, No. 227,” on 
the registry of the Grand Lodge of Ireland. 


THE MAGISTRATES OF AMSTERDAM. 

In the year 1735, the States General of Holland 
interdicted the practise of Freemasonry. Notwith¬ 
standing the promulgation of this ordinance, a 
Lodge in Amsterdam, continued to hold its regular 
meetings, at a private house, the residence of one of 
the members. The magistrates having been in- 


52 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


formed of the fact, ordered the house to be sur¬ 
rounded, and all the members of the Lodge to be 
arrested. Being brought the next day to the town 
hall, the Master and Wardens were examined, in 
respect to the object of their assemblies, and the 
character of their institution. The answers, of 
course, were general; but the brethren offered to 
initiate any one of the magistrates, who was wil¬ 
ling to undertake the experiment, in order that a 
fair opportunity might be afforded, for an investiga¬ 
tion into the design of Freemasonry, with the un¬ 
derstanding, that the initiated magistrate should re¬ 
port to his colleagues, whatever he should find of 
an unfavorable or immoral nature, in the character j 
of the society. The offer was, after some consider¬ 
ation, accepted, and the town clerk was selected to 
undergo the experiment of initiation. On his re¬ 
turn to the town hall, he made so favorable a report 
of the institution, that all farther prosecution of the 
brethren was suspended; and the magistrates, ta¬ 
king a lively interest in the affairs of the body, were 
successively initiated into the mysteries of Free¬ 
masonry. The institution has since met with no 
obstructions to its progress in Holland. 


THE MEDITERRANEAN PASS. 

The Mediterrean Pass is an honorary degree of 
Masonry, at one time conferred only on Knights 
Templars. In a modified form, it is now more ge¬ 
nerally diffused, and is said to have been “ formerly 
useful to mariners in the Mediterranean, as a means 
of recognition, in cases of attack from the corsairs, 
who, if they happened to have this degree, permitted 
those brethren who had it also, to escape without pil- 



THE MYSTIC TIE. 


53 


lage, or detention.”* Dr. Oliver says of it, that, “ ac¬ 
cording to ’masonic tradition, vessels cruizing about 
the Mediterranean sea, are in danger of being cap¬ 
tured, and plundered, by the Algerines, and other 
African pirates, who infest the coast; so that, un¬ 
less there is some person on board, who has been ad¬ 
mitted to this degree, the vessel will have great dif¬ 
ficulty in escaping—otherwise, it is allowed to pass 
without molestation.”! 

That the utility of this degree is not altogether of 
a traditionary character, we may learn from the fol¬ 
lowing narrative, communicated by a correspond¬ 
ent to the Cincinnati Masonic Review, and which 
is quoted here in the author’s words. 

“ In 1825,1 was in poor health, and obtained 
permission to make a cruize in a Colombian frigate 
up the Mediterranean. 

** We were lying to, off Malaga, designing to in¬ 
tercept a Biscay-bound convoy. One morning, at 
day-light, we discovered, very near us, to windward, 
three large ships, under full sail, bearing directly 
down for us. They proved to be three large po- 
lacca-rigged Greek frigates, either of which was 
more than a match for us. Our ship, after some 
manoeuvering, was cleared for action, still hoping, 
however, to avoid a hostile rencontre. Our flag was 
shown. It was either not respected, or not recog¬ 
nized—the fleet still standing on, and the flag-ship 
firing a gun to windward, which was a hostile sig¬ 
nal. Every thing portended a fight. Our hopes 
were desperate—we were on an enemy’s coast—no 
refuge short of Gibraltar, two hundred miles to lee¬ 
ward, and itself rather an equivocal one. The Co¬ 
lombian Republic was not then recognized among 

* See the author’s Lexicon of Freemasonry, at the word, 
t Historical Landmarks of Freemasonry, vol. ii. p. 127, note 9.4 

5* 





54 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


the Christian nations—she was esteemed but a co¬ 
lony in rebellion—England, it is true, had formally 
acknowledged her nationality; but, good neighbor¬ 
hood to old Spain, gave reasons to fear the non¬ 
protection of Gibraltar. Moreover, we had the Cas¬ 
tle of Ceuta in fearful proximity—at that time, and 
probably still, full of unfortunate Colombians, in¬ 
carcerated for life in its subterranean cells. Our 
only hope was from the humanity of the semi-bar¬ 
barous Greeks. Captain Anderson, a prize officer 
aboard, suggested a last resort to the commander, 
fortunately a Mason, and it was forthwith essayed. 
Our flag was lowered —the Mediterranean Pass was 
displayed. We were of course all anxiety. In 
ten minutes, behold it was answered; and was 
speedily followed by a courteous salute! Their 
fleet bore away to the southward.” 


MASONRY PREVENTS LITIGATION. 

There is nothing more adverse to the principles of 
the masonic institution, than the occurrence of liti¬ 
gation between its members. The strife and ran¬ 
cor, which are so apt to be engendered by the 
“quirks and quibbles” of a suit at law, are by no 
means calculated to strengthen or advance that 
brotherly love and affection, which is one of the 
characteristics of our Order. Hence it is one of the 
tenets of the Society, that any dispute should be 
settled, rather by the mediation of friends, than by 
-an appeal to legal tribunals; and that, when, from 
the intricacy of the case, it is found impossible to 
obtain, in this manner, a satisfactory adjudication, 
the reference to courts of justice should be conduct¬ 
ed in mildness and kindness, with the feelings that 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


55 


distinguish a contest for truth, rather than with those 
that desecrate a struggle for victory. On this point, 
the “ Ancient Charges” are so explicit, that a quo¬ 
tation from them will be the best eulogium that can 
be offered, on the pacific spirit of Freemasonry. 

“If any Brother do you injury”—so prescribes 
this universal constitution of the Order—“you 
must apply to your own, or his Lodge; and from 
thence you may appeal to the Grand Lodge, at the 
Quarterly Communication, and from thence to the 
Annual Grand Lodge, as has been the ancient lau¬ 
dable conduct of our forefathers in every nation ; 
never taking a legal course, but when the case can¬ 
not be otherwise decided; and patiently listening to 
the honest and friendly advice of Master and Fel¬ 
lows, when they would prevent your going to law 
with strangers, or would excite you to put a speedy 
period to all law-suits, that so you may mind the af¬ 
fairs of Masonry with the more alacrity and suc¬ 
cess ; but with respect to Brothers or Fellows at 
law, the Master and Brethren shall kindly offer their 
mediation, which ought to be thankfully submitted 
to by the contending Brethren; and if that submis¬ 
sion is impracticable, they must, however, carry on 
their process, or writ at law, without wrath and ran¬ 
cor, (not in the common way,) saying and doing no¬ 
thing which may hinder brotherly love and good 
offices to be renewed and continued ; that all may 
see the benign influence of Masonry, as all irue Ma¬ 
sons have done from the beginning of the world, 
and will do to the end of time.”* 

If this “ benign influence” has not always been 
successfully exerted, it is to be attributed to the 
infirmity of human nature, through which 

“ We know the right, and yet the wrong pursue.” 


The Old Charges of the Free and Accepted Masous, vi. 6. 





56 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


The precept is there ; but how often is it, in Masonry, 
as in religion, that our teachings, and our practice, 
are at variance. Yet, that the rule is sometimes 
obeyed, and that, too, with the happiest effects, 
may be learned from the following narrative, which 
was contributed, a few years ago, by one of the 
correspondents of a newspaper, published in Ire¬ 
land. 

“In the summer of 1835, the schooner Vigilant, 
Captain Berquin, from Dunkirk, arrived in Lae- 
wick harbor, with loss of sails, and other damage. 
The captain procured an agent, with whom he 
agreed for the necessary repairs, which were soon 
effected, and the vessel declared ready for sea. A 
misunderstanding, however, arose between the cap¬ 
tain and agent, on the charges- incurred, which, in 
the sequel, proved to be excessive; the captain 
threatened to sail without acknowledging the ac¬ 
count, unless corrected, whereon a meditatione fugce 
warrant was procured against him. I knew him to 
be a man incapable of acting dishonestly, although 
a little acute with detection of certain mistakes, 
and was struck with astonishment at seeing him 
marched off to prison, and incarcerated beside a 
felon, convicted of theft and burglary. As the cap¬ 
tain understood the English language but very im¬ 
perfectly, I proffered my service in his forlorn state. 
After the burst of indignation, which naturally fol¬ 
lowed, had subsided, he earnestly requested that a 
Freemason might be sent to him. I was acquaint¬ 
ed with several gentlemen, reputed to be of the Or¬ 
der, and to whom 1 made his case known. The 
agent, who procured the warrant, the judge, who 
signed it, and the captain, who suffered by it, were 
all Freemasons; instant justice was rendered, and 
the captain immediately liberated. I was so struck 




THE MYSTIC TIE. 


57 


with the wondrous influence of the mystic tie, over 
the usual tardy operation of official regulations, that 
I eagerly seized the opportunity to become a Free¬ 
mason.” 


FREEMASONRY AT SEA. 

I had the pleasure of hearing the worthy brother, 
Capt. Nicholas Brown, relate the following anec¬ 
dotes, at a communication of Washington Lodge No. 
5, in Charleston, S. C., where he was, like myself, 
on that evening, a visitor. At the request of the 
Lodge, he, the next day, committed them to writing, 
and they were published, by Brother Moore, in the 
Freemasons’ Magazine for July, 1847. I shall not 
mar the effect of the relation, by seeking to amend 
the simple, yet truthful language of the narrator. 

“ When a young man, I was made a Mason in 
the Sea Captains’ Lodge, No. 115, at Liverpool, 
England, (1808.) In the year 1813, during our last 
war with England, 1 was returning home from Lis¬ 
bon, after discharging a cargo of corn and flour 
there, with my ship loaded with salt. About the 
4th or 5th of April, at 10 A. M., four days out from 
Lisbon, I saw a large ship standing for me, which 
soon came near enough to reach me with her shot, 
when I hove to. She hoisted French colors, and 
proved to be the French frigate Arethusa, of fifty 
guns, Commodore Bovett, commander, with instruc¬ 
tions to burn, sink, and destroy, all ships, or ves¬ 
sels, bound to, or from, an enemy’s port. I was 
soon boarded by a lieutenant and twenty men from 
the frigate, all prepared to set fire to my ship. 
When the boat came along-side, I stood at my 
gangway, ready to receive the officer on board, gave 


58 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


him my hand , and led him into my cabin, where he 
examined the ship’s papers, when I had farther op¬ 
portunity to make myself known as a Mason. He 
returned the recognition, and looked on me with a 
smile that I never shall forget, and said, in broken 
English, “ The Commodore is also a Mason. I will 
now go on board the frigate: you keep your main 
and mizen top-sails aback, and if we haul down 
our ensign, you fill your top-sails and go home—and 
a good voyage to you.” In the course of ten mi¬ 
nutes after the lieutenant got on board the frigate, 
down came her ensign, and I was soon before the I 
wind, under a cloud of sail, and arrived home safe ; 
about the 30th of April. Had I not been a Mason 
at that time, there is not the least doubt that my 
ship would have shared the fate of many others, de¬ 
stroyed by that frigate, under the decrees of Na¬ 
poleon. 

About six months after, I was taken by the Bri¬ 
tish privateer Retaliation, out of Halifax, on a cruize. 

I then had the command of a schooner, under Span¬ 
ish colors, bound to Windsor, N. S. They took my 
vessel, and sent her to Halifax, and me they took on * 
board the privateer; the men of which rifled my 
trunk of about all its contents, consisting of clothing, 
and some money. In the course of the evening, the 
Doctor of the privateer answered my signal as a 
Mason, when I informed him of the robbery. He 
took me by the hand, and said, ‘Brother, fear not: 
our captain and both lieutenants are Masons.’ I 
was soon invited into the cabin, and treated with 
brotherly love and affection. Next morning, at 8 
o’clock, all hands were called to quarters, and when 
all were on deck, the gratings were put on, fore and 
aft. 1 was then Called on the berth deck, while 
every man’s bag and box were opened, and the 



THE MYSTIC TIE. 


59 


contents exposed to my inspection. I recovered all 
my clothing again, and instead of sending me a pri¬ 
soner to Halifax, they put me on board of a fishing 
boat, in sight of Portland, where 1 landed the next 
day, which was the 4th of November, 1813. The 
third day, I was safe at home with my family. Had 
I not been a Mason, there is not the least doubt that 
I should have been sent to the Halifax prison, with¬ 
out clothing, or money, there to have stayed during 
the war.” 


EPISODES OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. 

It is not to be supposed, that, in a country where 
Freemasonry has always been as popular, and as 
extensively diffused, as it is in France, so important 
a period of civil disturbance as that of the late re¬ 
volution in June, 1847, should have passed, with¬ 
out the occurrence of some of the proofs of the 
power of our institution to calm the unholy passions, 
which human strife engenders. Many such instan¬ 
ces did occur; two of them have come to my know¬ 
ledge, and may appropriately obtain a place in this 
volume, as “ Episodes of the French Revolution.” 
They are recorded in the “Franc Ma§on,” a new 
periodica l, just issued in Paris ; for a copy of which, 
I am indebted to my esteemed friend, M. Leblanc 
de Marconnay, of that city ; a gentleman, whose re¬ 
putation as a man of letters, and as a Mason, is not 
confined to the precincts of his own country. 

The first of these incidents is as follows:—An 
officer of the National Guards was on the point of 
being shot by the insurgents—the guns were levelled 
at his breast, and in another moment he would have 


60 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


been a corpse—when he made the mystic appeal of 
a Mason in the hour of distress. One of the at¬ 
tacking party, who beheld it, rushed forward, and 
exclaimed—“ Hold ! he is my Brother.” The mus¬ 
kets were instantly lowered, and the officer was 
saved. 

The second anecdote, is a beautiful exemplifica¬ 
tion of the peaceful principles of our institution. 
The “ men of the barricades,” in the progress of 
enlisting recruits, to aid them in their emeute , rushed 
into the store of Berthaud, the Master of “ L’Etoile 
de Bethleem,” one of the finest Lodges in Paris. 
They demanded a suppty of arms, and urged him 
to follow them to the barricades. Berthaud, taking 
their chief by the hand, showed him a collar and 
jewel of one of the high orders of Masonry, which 
he wore upon his breast, and calmly said, “You 
see that I have a mission of peace, and not of 
slaughter, to perform.” The insurgents felt the 
force of the argument, and replying, “We know 
it,” they quietly retired to the street. 


FREEMASONRY IN SWEDEN. 

In no part of the world does Freemason^ find 
such favor, as in Sweden. From the king, to the 
humblest peasant, the institution is not only respect¬ 
ed, but venerated. The monarch is the hereditary 
Grand Master, and patron of the Order; and the 
learned, the noble, and the rich, are enrolled among 
its members. The peculiar rite practised in that 
country, called the Swedish rite, consists of twelve 
degrees; the fifth of which, or Master of St. An¬ 
drew, gives to its possessor the rank of civil nobi- 



THE MYSTIC TIE. 


61 


lity in the State. Charles XIII., formerly Duke of 
Sudermania, and Grand Master of the Swedish 
Craft, created an Order of Knighthood, that of 
Charles the Thirteenth, which could only be con¬ 
ferred on meritorious Freemasons, and the jewel of 
which they were permitted to wear in public. “It 
happens at the present moment,” says the London 
Freemasons’ Quarterly Review, “that some most 
excellent Masons, not otherwise of gentle blood, but 
even exercising honest vocations, by virtue of their 
being members of this particular Order, take prece¬ 
dence at court of some, who, on other occasions, 
would look on them with disdain.” 

In the preface to the statutes of the Order, the 
king thus explains the considerations which led him 
to its institution. 

“ We, Charles XIII., &c. Among the duties that 
have involved upon us, in accepting the crown of 
Sweden, none is more important, than that of re¬ 
compensing merit, which is exerted for the public 
good. If fidelity, bravery, talent, and industry, 
have often been rewarded by us, we must no longer 
forget those good citizens, who, in a more limited, 
and less brilliant sphere, secretly bestow their as¬ 
sistance upon the unfortunate, and the orphan ; and 
who leave, in the habitation of poverty, the traces, 
not of their names, but of their good deeds. As we 
desire to honor these virtuous actions, which are 
not provided for by the laws of the kingdom, and 
which are too rarely presented to the public estima¬ 
tion, we cannot hesitate Ux extend our particular 
good will towards an estimable society, whose gov¬ 
ernment, we, ourselves, have administered, over 
which we have presided, and whose dogmas, and 
institutions, we have cultivated and propagated.” 

In 1753, the orphan asylum of Stockholm, a noble 
6 


62 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


fountain of benevolence, was endowed by the Free¬ 
masons of Sweden, on the occasion of the birth of 
the Princess Sophia Albertine. In 1767, it re¬ 
ceived, from a private brother, an endowment of 
130,000 francs; and, in 1778, an annual rent of 
26,000 francs from the Queen. Many other chari¬ 
table, and humane institutions, have, at various 
times, been established, and supported by the Or¬ 
der, in that country. 


FREEMASONRY IN GERMANY. 

In no part of the world is Freemasonry more de¬ 
servedly popular, than in the States of Germany; 
and the high reputation which it now obtains among 
the Germans, is one which is of no new date, but 
has been the consequence of a strict observance of 
all its best regulations, and has therefore been main¬ 
tained since its first introduction into that country. 
The Rev. Dr. Render, who published a “ Tour 
through Germany,” in the early part of this cen¬ 
tury, says that, in that country, “ it is a general be¬ 
lief, and taken as a fact, that the Germans are much 
indebted to the Order of Freemasonry; as it is 
certainly owing to that Society, that many of its 
princes have become more amiable in their man¬ 
ners, and more mild in the treatment of their sub¬ 
jects, than formerly.”* 

Speaking of the facilities of introduction, which 
Freemasonry affords to strangers, in Germany, he 
uses the following language. 

“If an Englishman wish for almost instant ac¬ 
quaintance with the first ranks in Germany, his be- 


* Render’s Tour through Germany, vol. ii. p. 200. 





THE MYSTIC TIE. 


63 


ing a Freemason, will render his introduction more 
easy and agreeable to the parties, as well as to him¬ 
self, Masonry being there held in the highest estima¬ 
tion. But it is somewhat different from that of En¬ 
gland ; I do not mean in point of science, but in the 
choice of members. It is, on this account, by no 
means easy to become a Mason, as the qualifica¬ 
tions are extremely nice and numerous : the difficul¬ 
ty of choice is not confined to foreigners, but ex¬ 
tends even to natives, the mutual consent of every 
member, in different Lodges, being necessary to 
make a Mason; and it often happens that a Ger¬ 
man is excluded, because one single member gives 
a negative.* This accounts for the advantage of 
being a Mason, in order the more easily and speed¬ 
ily to acquire an acquaintance with persons of the 
greatest respectability. A man will then be intro¬ 
duced to the literati, as well as the first ranks of 
nobility, and, consequently, will never repent hav¬ 
ing been initiated into this mystery in his own coun¬ 
try ; and as the English and German Lodges are so 
closely connected with each other, words are inade¬ 
quate to describe the advantages and pleasures, 
which an Englishman derives from such an union. 
What delight must a foreigner feel, in passing some 
hours in a German Lodge, where every thing is con¬ 
ducted with decorum, and the greatest solemnity. 
There he will meet the first princes of the German 
Empire, nobility, and men of learning.”! 

Recent visitors to Germany inform us, that the in¬ 
stitution has, at this day, lost none of those attri¬ 
butes which entitled it, more than forty years ago, 

* This is a very general rule of Masonry, practised in all countries, 
and not restricted, as Dr. Render seems to think, to the German Lodges. 

t Render’s Tour, vol. i., p. 30. 



64 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


to this high encomium. The great, the good, and 
the learned, continue to patronize it, and to unite in 
its labors of love; and the German Lodges are 
now, as they were then, model Lodges for the rest 
of the masonic world. Only a year or two since, 
Prince Frederick, of Prussia, the heir apparent to 
the throne, and the Grand Master of the Prussian 
Freemasons, issued a circular to all the Lodges, 
recommending to the brethren, strenuously to co¬ 
operate with the societies for the improvement of 
the working classes, which recommendation was at¬ 
tended with the best results. 

Throughout Germany there are numerous chari¬ 
table institutions, which have been founded, and 
continue to be maintained by, the benevolent efforts 
of the Masonic fraternity. Among these may be 
enumerated the institute founded at Berlin, in i 819 , 
by the national Grand Lodge of Germany, for the 
orphans and widows of Freemasons, which is sup¬ 
ported by annual donations from all the Prussian 
Lodges; a poor and orphan house, at Prague; a 
lying-in hospital at Schleswig; and schools, and 
houses of refuge, in various parts of the empire. 


MASONIC COURTESY IN WAR. 

We have related so many instances of the bene¬ 
fits of Freemasonry in “the tented field,” that we 
almost need an apology for introducing one more to 
our readers. The interesting example, however, of 
courtesy which it exhibits amid those scenes, where 
mortal strife is too apt to engender a.harsher spirit, 
will, perhaps, furnish some excuse for the relation. 
The anecdote was published twenty years ago, in 
the Boston Centinel. 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


65 


In one of the engagements of our revolutionary 
war, the Charter, or Warrant of Constitution, of a 
military travelling Lodge, attached to the 17th regi¬ 
ment of the British army, fell, among other spoils, 
into the possession of a conquering force of the 
Americans. As soon as the capture was made 
known to the commanding officer of our troops, who 
was himself a Mason, he ordered it instantly to be 
returned to the regiment, from which it had been 
captured, and accompanied the restoration with a 
letter of the following import. 

“ When the ambition of monarchs, or the jarring 
interests of contending states, call forth their sub¬ 
jects to war, as Masons , we are disarmed of that re¬ 
sentment which stimulates to undistinguished deso¬ 
lation ; and however our political sentiments may 
impel us in the public dispute, we are still brethren, 
and (our professional duty apart) ought to promote 
the happiness, and advance the weal of each other. 
Accept, therefore, at the hands of a brother, the 
Warrant of Constitution of Unity Lodge No. 18, 
held in the seventeenth British regiment, which 
your late misfortunes have put in my power to re¬ 
store to you.” 


POPE BENEDICT XIV. 

Pope Benedict XIV., who succeeded Clement 
XII., confirmed the bull of his predecessor, by which 
all Freemasons who adhered to the institution were 
to be excommunicated. By a change of his con¬ 
duct, however, towards the Order, he subsequently 
gave his tacit testimony to its excellence. One of 
his favorite courtiers, a zealous Freemason, sought 
to change the Holy Father’s opinion, and induced 
6 * 



66 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


him to be privately initiated; on which occasion, a 
Roman Brother of the name of Tripulo, delivered 
an address. Benedict ceased, after this, to perse¬ 
cute the Freemasons in his territories. 

I give this statement on the authority of the Ger¬ 
man Freemasons’ Lexicon. It receives, however, cor¬ 
roboration from the fact, that the persecutions of Free¬ 
masonry which distinguished the commencement of 
the reign of Benedict, were subsequently disconti¬ 
nued ; and that the Society received its due portion 
of the toleration, which marked the career of that 
enlightened and liberal pontiff. 


QUEEN ELIZABETH. 

The testimony of “ good Queen Bess,” of En¬ 
gland, to the excellence of Freemasonry, like that 
of Pope Benedict XIV., was altogether of a prac¬ 
tical nature. Like the Roman Pontiff, the English j 
Queen had conceived an erroneous opinion of our 
institution, and was at first disposed to persecute it; 
but, upon a further acquaintance with its character 
and objects, she became, like him, its friend. 

The story of her conversion is told by Anderson,* 
as follows: 

“Hearing that the Masons had certain secrets 
that could not be revealed to her, (for that she could 
not be Grand Master ,) and being jealous of all se¬ 
cret assemblies, she sent an armed force to break 
up their annual Grand Lodge at York, on St. John’s 
Day, the 27th of December, 1561. Sir Thomas 
Sackville, Grand Master, took care to make some 
of the chief men sent, Freemasons, who then join- 

The Constitutions of the Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Free 
and Accepted Masons, chap. y. p. 109. 





THE MYSTIC TIE. 


67 


ing in that Communication, made a very honorable 
report to the Queen ; and she never after attempted 
to dislodge, or disturb them ; but esteemed them as 
a peculiar sort of men, that cultivated peace and 
friendship, arts and sciences, without meddling in 
the affairs of Church or State.” 

The implied approbation of our instition which 
has been recorded, as given by the magistrates of 
Amsterdam, by Pope Benedict, and by Queen Eli¬ 
zabeth, in their conversion, from the attitude of ad¬ 
versaries to that of friends, is of manifest impor¬ 
tance to us in a defence of Freemasonry. Ignorant 
of the nature of our principles, and excited to a 
spirit of persecution by the misrepresentations of 
prejudice and falsehood, these adverse feelings were 
at once removed, when an investigation into the ob¬ 
jects of the Masonic Society had placed them in 
possession of the truth. Their subsequent patron¬ 
age of Freemasonry was an admission of their pre¬ 
vious error, and a public atonement for the wrong 
they had done. Hence the Freemason .has a right 
to claim these, and all similar conversions, where 
the examination of Masonry was begun in hostility, 
and terminated in approval, as the very highest, be¬ 
cause the most impartial and disinterested testi¬ 
mony that can be furnished, of the power of our in¬ 
stitution to overcome slander by its purity, and to 
conquer falsehood by its truthfulness. He, who 
unites himself with the Order under the busy 
promptings of curiosity, a previous belief in its ex¬ 
cellence, or the carelessness of indifference, even 
were he to discover errors or follies in the system, 
might be unwilling to expose them, as the evidence 
of his disappointed expectations; but he, who en¬ 
quires into the character of the institution, with the 



68 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


spirit of a spy, who is seeking out “ the nakedness 
of the land,” or with the acrimony of an adversary, 
who is searching for some tenable ground on which 
to build his opposition, would seize with avidity the 
faintest speck in the fair fabric, as an admirable oc¬ 
casion to panegyrize the discernment which led him, 
in advance of his investigation, to condemn and de¬ 
nounce what he afterwards discovered to be so 
worthy of condemnation and denunciation. If the 
adversary, entering our association in this spirit of 
hostility, finds himself remaining with us in the spi¬ 
rit of friendship, this change of feeling conveys, to 
the minds of all who see it, or hear of it, the irre¬ 
sistible conviction, that it must have been accom¬ 
plished by some inherent virtue in the system itself. 
It is the noblest praise that our institution can re¬ 
ceive. It is the power of truth, mighty and prevail¬ 
ing, which disperses the mists of prejudice and 
falsehood, as the beams of the rising sun scatter the 
darkness of night. 


THE CHARITIES OF FREEMASONRY. 

u There is no institution whose laws more strongly enforce, or whose 
precepts more earnestly inculcate the virtue of charity, than that of Ma* t| 
sonry. It is among the first lessons we are taught, when we pass the 
threshold of the mystic temple.”— Tannehill. 


Besides the ordinary relief, which is afforded 
whenever it is asked for, to distressed Masons, their 
widows and orphans, “ wheresoever dispersed over 
the face of the globe,” other, more permanent 
means for the diffusion of benevolence, have been 
at various times organized, by the masonic bodies of 
different countries. If the enemies of Masonry 
could succeed in accomplishing, what one of the 


THE CYSTIC TIE. 


69 


most distinguished among them, Gov. Lincoln, of 
Massachusetts, acknowledged to be his sincere de¬ 
sire, “ the dissolution and extinction of the institu¬ 
tion,” they would become the criminal means of dry¬ 
ing many a rich fountain of charity, whose waters 
have been the invigorating source of comfort and 
support to the poor, the widow, and the orphan. 
It is with a feeling allied to bitterness, that one is 
compelled to look upon those vicious, or, at best, 
thoughtless persons, who would rashly kill the seed 
of that tree, productive of .so much good to the 
friendless and forlorn; who would hurl to its foun¬ 
dations that noble structure, which, for ages, has 
been giving a shelter and a welcome to the dis¬ 
tressed ; and extinguish that bright light, whose 
sun-like beams have penetrated and warmed hearts 
long chilled by penury. And yet all this they would 
do, while they offer no substitute for the institution, 
whose destruction would be most severely feit by 
those, to whom the “ pitiless peltings of the world” 
have given so much need of every resource and 
help, in the darkness and desolation of their po¬ 
verty. There is an unpardonable inhumanity in this 
unrelenting persecution of Freemasonry,—a persecu¬ 
tion which claims, for its defence, or its motive, not 
even the blindness of sectarian bigotry, nor the ex¬ 
citement of ambition, nor the inducements of inter¬ 
est, but which is born of, and supported by, the illi- 
berality of ignorance and prejudice alone. It is not 
surprizing, that every attempt at the organization 
of a persecution so unworthy, and so debasing in 
its motive principle, has utterly failed; for the 
common sense and universal instinct of man, will 
ever revolt at the attack upon virtue, simply and 
unblushingly, because it is virtue that is to be at¬ 
tacked. Aristides was ostracized by the Athe- 



70 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


Athenians, only because he was a just man; but! 
the general consent of posterity has condemned the 
ostracism, or viewed it really as the highest enco¬ 
mium on the Grecian magistrate. 

An English writer* has made the following cata¬ 
logue of the objects of charity among Masons: 
“merit and virtue in distress ; persons who are in¬ 
capable of extricating themselves from misfortunes 
in their journey through life; industrious men, who, 
from inevitable accidents, and acts of providence, 
have fallen into ruin; widows left survivors of their 
husbands, by whose labors they subsisted ; orphans 
in tender years left naked to the world; and the 
aged, whose arms are embraced by time, and 
thereby rendered unable to procure for themselves 
that sustenance they could accomplish in their 
youthful days.” The catalogue is a melancholy 
one, but it is the object of Freemasonry, vitupera¬ 
ted as it. is, to relieve the wretched objects who 
compose it. Has that object been accomplished? 
Let the history of the Order, and the statistics of 
its benevolent establishments, founded and support¬ 
ed by the craft, in every country where Masonry 
exists, answer the question. 

It would be far beyond the limits that this vo¬ 
lume permits, to give only a brief synopsis of all 
the charitable institutions that have, even within a 
few years,f been established by the fraternity, in 
various parts, of the world; but a record of the 
names and objects of a few of the most prominent, 
will serve to prove that Masonry is eminently a cha- 


* In the Sherborne Journal, quoted by Oliver. 

as ll ! e . y eai ; 1440 > we learn from the Charter of Cologne 
(if that document is to be considered authentic,) that the Freemasons 
of Flanders erected and endowed hospitals, for the relief of the poor 
who were attacked with Saint Anthony’s fire P 







THE MYSTIC TIE. 


71 


litable institution, not simply in her solemn precepts 
and her daily teachings, but in her active, practi¬ 
cal, and weal-bestowing labors. 

The Grand Lodge of England, at an early period, 
adopted measures for supplying the wants of desti¬ 
tute brethren. In the year 1724, during the Grand 
Mastership of the Duke of Richmond, the Earl of Dal¬ 
keith proposed, “ That in order to promote the chari¬ 
table disposition of Freemasons, and to render it more 
extensively beneficial to the society, each Lodge 
should make a certain collection, according to its 
ability, to be put into a joint stock, and lodged in 
the hands of the treasurer, at every Quarterly Com¬ 
munication, for the relief of distressed brethren, 
that should be recommended by the contributing 
Lodges to the grand officers, from time to time.” 
From this beginning arose the Committee of Cha¬ 
rity of the Grand Lodge of England, which has 
since done so much for the relief of indigent and 
distressed Masons. Among the numerous instances 
of its benevolence, may be mentioned a donation of 
<£50, to the widow of the celebrated traveller, Bel- 
zoni. On one occasion, a brother White, a cutler 
of London, having lost his whole property by fire, 
the committee advanced to him £1000 by way of 
loan ; and when, on the retrieval of his affairs, the 
faithful debtor was ready to discharge the debt, the 
committee refused to accept it, but bestowed it as a 
marriage dowry upon his daughter. 

The Freemasons of London established, in 1835, 
a noble institution, known as the “Asylum for 
worthy aged and decayed Freemasonsthe gene¬ 
rous objects of which are sufficiently designated in 
its title. To this is now to be added, an asylum for 
the widows of indigent Masons, which has been 
also established by the Grand Lodge of England. 


72 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


In France, there is a Central House of Relief, 
(Maison Centrale de Secours,) which was estab¬ 
lished by the Grand Orient, on the 21st of March, 
1840. The object of this institution is, to receive 
destitute Masons for a determinate time, to contri¬ 
bute to their immediate relief, and to obtain employ¬ 
ment for them. In two years, 11,600 francs were 
subscribed by the Lodges, and individuals, to this 
benevolent design. The “ Society for the Patron¬ 
age of Poor Children,” at Ljmns, is deserving of a 
more particular notice. The great design of this 
society is, by the proper education of the poor, to 
diminish the primary cause of pauperism. For this 
purpose, the society selects a child while in the cra¬ 
dle, and chooses, from among its members, a worthy 
and capable patron for it. This patron assists the 
parents in all their cares; supplies their insufficien¬ 
cy, their carelessness, or indifference; watches over 
the health, the morals, and the education of the 
child; sees that it is well fed, and well clothed, in 
its infancy, and that it is sent to school at a proper 
age; examines its progress, encourages its efforts, 
instils into it the principles of religion, a fondness 
for labor, respect for its parents, and the love of 
country. He directs it in the choice of a trade, and 
selects a fitting master. And finally, if a boy, he 
supplies him, on the expiration of his apprenticeship, 
with the necessary tools to enter upon his career of 
industry; and, if a girl, presents her with a dowry, 
to facilitate her prospects of honorable marriage. 

In 1846, the Lodge of Perfect Sincerity, at Mar¬ 
seilles, in France, adopted a resolution, that, on the 
days on which the Lodge met, bread should be dis¬ 
tributed to all the poor in the town ; thus beautifully 
mingling the labors and the love of Masonry. Of a 
similar character was the useful, yet prudent cha- 



THE MYSTIC TIE. 


73 


rity of Apollo Lodge in the city of Troy, New-York, 
which, seeing the distress occasioned in cold wea¬ 
ther, by the exorbitant price of wood, purchased, 
in the summer of 1828, a hundred cords of wood, 
at a cheap rate, which they laid up, and sold to the 
meritorious poor at cost price, during the rigorous 
season of winter. Many a starving and shivering 
child of penury, has had occasion to bless the be¬ 
nevolence of the Lodges of Marseilles and Troy. 

In 1845, the Lodge “ Isis,” in Switzerland, as¬ 
sisted by the bequest of a worthy deceased brother, 
established a splendid fund for the relief of the wi¬ 
dows of Freemasons. At the same time, in Merse- 
berg, a similar fund for supporting distressed wi¬ 
dows and orphans, was constituted. In Neisse, a 
fund h&s been established, with a similar direction. 
At Wismar, two charities have been founded by the 
Masonic Lodge; one a weekly stipend for the or¬ 
phans of members, and the other a fund for making 
loans to industrious, but needy Masons. 

At Berlin, in Prussia, there is an institute for the 
support of the children and widows of Freemasons, 
which is endowed by the annual subscriptions of 
all the Prussian Lodges. There are an orphan 
asylum at Prague, a lying-in hospital at Schleswig, 
an institute for widows at Rostock, and other chari¬ 
table institutions, the result of masonic benevolence, 
at Presburg, Stellin, Rosenberg, and various other 
cities of Germany. 

The Lodges of Holland, founded, in 1808, an in¬ 
stitute for the blind, at Amsterdam. As an in¬ 
stance of the unwearying benevolence of the Hol¬ 
land Lodges, Clavel states, that, in the course of 
fifty years, they had distributed among the dis¬ 
tressed 900,000 francs, or about 180,000 dollars, 
which is at the rate of 3,600 dollars a year. 

7 




74 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


In Stockholm there is an orphan asylum, which 
was founded in 1753, by the contributions of the 
Swedish Lodges. This institution is, as I have 
already said, very rich, having been endowed in 
1767, by Brother Broham, with the sum of 130,000 
francs ; and, in 1778, with an annual rent of 26,000 
francs, by the Queen of Sweden. 

In the United States, the Masonic Order is not 
yet wealthy enough, to have organized many insti¬ 
tutions for benevolent purposes. Yet the active cha¬ 
rities of the fraternity have not been less, in propor¬ 
tion to the amount of means, than those of their 
richer European brethren. 

Stephen Girard, the millionaire, who was himself 
a Mason, bequeathed to the Grand Lodge of Penn¬ 
sylvania the sum of twenty thousand dollars, which, 
by his direction, has been allowed to increase to 
thirty thousand, and the income of which is annu¬ 
ally distributed among worthy poor Masons. 

In New-York, a fund has been commenced, for 
the purpose of establishing a Freemasons’ Orphan 
Asylum. 

In 1843, the Lodge of Strict Observance was 
constituted in New-York, and one of its first acts 
was to take under its care two little orphan boys, 
the children of a brother Mason. “ These little 
boys have been regarded as the children of the 
Lodge, and their welfare is a subject of satisfaction 
to every member.” 

Even in the distant “ isles of the ocean,” the spi¬ 
rit of masonic charity is warming the hearts of 
the brethren to deeds of active benevolence. The 
Lodges of Tasmania and Sidney, in Australia, have 
established a fund for the relief of distressed Ma¬ 
sons, their widows, and orphans—which, it is said, 
though as yet small, is effecting much good. 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


75 


In short, go where we may, we shall ever find 
the traces of masonic charity, not published in 
printed records, nor blazoned to the world, for the 
purposes of vain-glorious boasting, but acting in se¬ 
cret—unknown to all save the recipients of our 
bounty; and drying the tear of the widow, and 
hushing the cry of the orphan, giving aid to the 
helpless, and consolation to the sorrowful, with a 
privacy that adds to the beauty of this chief of 
virtues. 

The corollary of all this, is furnished by Preston.* 

“From this view of the advantages which result 
from the practice and profession of Masonry, every 
candid and impartial mind must acknowledge its 
utility and importance to the state; and surely if 
the picture here drawn be just, it must be no trifling 
acquisition to any government, to have under its ju¬ 
risdiction a society of men, who are not only true 
patriots and loyal subjects, but the patrons of sci¬ 
ence and the friends of mankind.” 


THE UNIVERSALITY OF FREEMASONRY. 

It was the boast of the Emperor Charles V., that 
the sun never set on his vast empire. This, too, 
may be affirmed of Freemasonry. The orb of day, 
in his revolution, finds at each hour some hallowed 
spot, the home of a Mason, or the domicil of a 
Lodge, on wffiich to distribute his rays of light and 
heat. As he leaves the ancient shores of Asia, and 
with them the Lodges of India, of Persia, and Tur¬ 
key, he beholds other congregations of the brethren 
amid the populous cities of Europe, or solitary dis- 


Illustratious of Masonry, p. 39. 






76 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


ciples in the deserts of Africa ; and still continuing j 
his course, he is welcomed by the sons of light, who j 
are meeting in the young and vigorous republics of 
America. In every land the Mason may find a 
home, and in every clime a brother. 

I have observed in another work, that this uni¬ 
versality of Masonry is not more honorable to the 
Order, than it is advantageous to the brethren. 
From east to west, and from north to south, over 
the whole habitable globe, are our Lodges dissemi¬ 
nated. Wherever the wandering steps of civilized 
man have left their foot-prints, there have our tem¬ 
ples been established. The lessons of masonic 
love have penetrated into the wilderness of the 
west, and the red man of our soil has shared with 
his more enlightened brother, the mysteries of our 
science ; while the arid sands of the African desert 
have more than once been the scene of a masonic 
greeting.* 

The statistics of Freemasonry furnish abundant 
evidence of the wide extension of the institution. 
In Europe, Lodges are to be found in the full vigor 
of operation in every kingdom, except Italy, Aus- 
tria, and Spain; and even in these countries, al¬ 
though the persecution of the Roman Church, and 
the tyranny of the State, have prevented the public 
exhibition of our rites, the Order has numerous 
attached and zealous adherents.' In Asia, and 
Oceanica, wherever there are European colonies, the 
Order has taken root, and many of the natives have 
been, and continue to be, initiated. Masonry is also 
successfully practised in Turkey and Persia. In 
Africa, Egypt, Algeria, all the English and French 
settlements, and even Goa, once a famous seat of 


Lexicon of Freemasonry, article, “Statistics of Masonry .’ 






THE MYSTIC TIE. 


77 


the Inquisition, the banner of Freemasonry has been 
unfurled. In America, there is not a spot of earth, 
except its remote and uninhabited wilds, that has 
not witnessed the opening of a Lodge. Even in 
Brazil, an absolute monarchy, and a Roman Ca¬ 
tholic country, both ingredients in its constitution 
which are inimical to the progress of the institution, 
it is in successful operation, and the Grand Lodge 
of Brazil may be classed among the most active 
orients of the new world. Among the Indians of 
North America, Freemasonry is popular; and Col. 
Butler, who died gallantly in Mexico, during the 
late war with that country, at the head of the South- 
Carolina regiment of volunteers, requested, and ob¬ 
tained initiation in a Lodge in this State, while he was 
employed as one of the Indian agents of the govern¬ 
ment, because, as he himself avowed, he saw the im¬ 
mense advantage it would give him in preserving 
peace and harmony, and in exerting a beneficial in¬ 
fluence among the tribes under his superintendence. 

An interesting incident, illustrative of the exten¬ 
sion of Freemasonry among the Asiatic aborigines, 
is recorded in the London Freemasons’ Quarterly 
Review. In a Lodge held in 1845, at Bombay, 
there were present nine native brethren, three of whom 
were followers of Zoroaster, two of Confucius, and 
four of Mahomet, assembled together around one 
common altar, and engaged in the worship of one 
common God. 

Among the records of the Grand Lodge of Scot¬ 
land, we find the following entry, under the date of 
November 30, 1785, as a corroborative evidence of 
the extension of the Order, at that period, into Ma¬ 
hometan countries. 

“ A petition having been presented from a dis¬ 
tressed Turk, who, upon examination, was found to 
7* 




78 


■THE MYSTIC TIE. 


be a brother of the Order, he was ordered immedi¬ 
ate relief.” 

Two or three instances will be found recorded in 
this work, of the deeds of brotherly love performed 
by Arab Masons. As a farther confirmation of the 
existence of the Order among these people, the fol¬ 
lowing paragraph, originally published in the Al¬ 
bany (N. Y.) Gazette for May 4th, 1821, is entitled 
to a place under the head of “ the universality of 
Masonry.” 

“ Port Pray a, St. Jago , Dec. 21. 

“ Arrived, His Britanic Majesty’s ship Leven, 
captain D. E. Bartholomew, C. B., commander, last 
from Rio Oura and Cape Blanco, and sailed 2d of 
January for Goree and Gambia, surveying. Cap¬ 
tain Bartholomew informs us, that at Rio Oura he 
had an interview with a tribe of wandering Arabs, 
and, strange to learn, found among them a Free¬ 
mason, who spoke a little Spanish ; and said that 
in Arabia Felix, where he had been, were many 
Freemasons, and offered to go on board the ship, 
but was prevented by the chief.” 

Important and numerous as are the moral and 
physical benefits of Freemasonry, arising from the 
“ mystic tie” of brotherly love, which unites its 
members in one sacred band, their importance and 
number are increased, in an almost incalculable de¬ 
gree, by this characteristic of its universality. The 
Mason who remains at home, and mingles but little 
with brethren from other regions of the globe, can 
have no adequate conception of the wonderful re¬ 
sults produced, by this vast extension of our Order 
over the four quarters of the earth. It is the tra¬ 
velled Mason alone, who is capable of discovering 
the difference between the general and cosmopolite 
operations of an institution like this, and the con- 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


79 


fined and local influences of all other friendly, or 
benevolent societies. The Mason alone is conscious, 
that, go where he may, amid the frozen hills of Si¬ 
beria, or the burning sands of Africa—among stran¬ 
gers or foes, in poverty and distress, in sorrow and 
in sickness, there is always with him an invisible 
shield, that protects him from danger, and an un¬ 
seen pillar of strength that supports his faltering 
steps. The cord of brotherly love that encircles 
the world, continues to embrace him in its ample 
fold. “Were I to travel into a foreign country,” 
says the Rev. Salem Town, “ I should consider 
my masonic relations the surest safeguard, aside 
from divine protection, that could be thrown around 
me.” Masonry is not a fountain, giving health and 
beauty to some single hamlet, and slaking the thirst 
of those only who dwell upon its humble banks ;— 
but it is a mighty stream, penetrating through every 
hill and mountain, and gliding through every field 
and valley of the earth, bearing, in its beneficent 
bosom, the abundant waters of love and charity, 
for the poor, the widow, and the orphan, of every 
land. Enthusiastically, yet truthfully, has the bro¬ 
ther already quoted, exclaimed: 

“ What an angel of mercy is found in the univer¬ 
sality of this ancient, and venerable institution!” 


FREEMASONRY AND TEMPERANCE. 

There is no charge more frequently made against 
our institution, than that of its encouraging riot 
and debauchery. That solitary instances of dissi¬ 
pation—but few and far between—may at times 
have occurred in the social banquets which the ma¬ 
sonic, like other societies, permits, I will not under- 




80 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


take to deny, although no such instances have come 
within my own knowledge. But every offence has 
been a manifest violation of the spirit and the writ¬ 
ten, as well as the unwritten law of the institution ; 
and I need not urge the folly and injustice of argu¬ 
ing from the abuse of a thing, against its use. Tem¬ 
perance is, in fact, one of the first virtues inculcated 
upon an Entered Apprentice ; and the necessity of 
its practice is so impressed upon the mind of the 
Mason, by the symbolic instruction which accom¬ 
panies its recommendation, that the lesson is made, 
in all his masonic intercourse with his brethren, to 
be continually recurring to his recollection. 

Our Ancient Charges, which, like the decrees of 
the Medes and Persians, are the sacred and un¬ 
changeable laws of the Order, have not left this 
point in doubt. “ You may,” say they, “ enjoy 
yourselves with innocent mirth, treating one another 
according to ability, but avoiding all excess, or j 
forcing any brother to eat, or drink, beyond his in- 
clination; or hindering him from going, when his ; 
occasions call him; or doing, or saying any thing 
offensive, or that may forbid an easy and free con¬ 
versation, for that would blast our harmony, and 
defeat our laudable purposes.” 

Our lectures are still more explicit, in urging the 
practice of the virtue under consideration, and in 
warning the Mason of the danger of contracting 
licentious habits. 

It may add something to the strength of this de¬ 
fence, to state, that abstinence from intoxicating 
drinks was advocated, by a portion of the masonic 
family, long before the commencement of the pre¬ 
sent temperance reformation. When Pope Cle¬ 
ment XII., in the year 1738, issued a bull of ex- ; 
communication against the fraternity, the Freema- 



THE MYSTIC TIE. 


81 


sons of Italy, unwilling to renounce the institution, 
and yet not daring openly to practise its rites, 
changed the title of the Order, and continued to 
meet as Masons under the name of the Xeropha- 
gists, a word signifying “ men who do not drink;” and 
they assumed this appellation because they adopted 
the pledge of total abstinence from intoxicating li¬ 
quors, as a part of their regulations. Hence the first 
temperance societies of modern days, are to be found 
in the masonic Lodges of Italy, in the last century. 
The regulation, it is true, was a local one ; total ab¬ 
stinence does not form a part of our General Con¬ 
stitutions, but the excess of intemperance is a seri¬ 
ous offence against our laws, and one which, when¬ 
ever it occurs, is always visited with a heavy pe¬ 
nalty. 

1 cannot better close this defence of Masonry as 
a temperate institution, than by quoting the testi¬ 
mony of Col. Stone—which is indeed the more va¬ 
luable—because he speaks from personal know¬ 
ledge, having been, for many years, an active mem¬ 
ber of the Order; and without the slightest ap¬ 
proach to partiality, because he succumbed to the 
storm of anti-masonry, publicly renounced the Or¬ 
der, and became one of its most insidious foes. 
Replying then to the charge of intemperance, made 
against the members of the Order, he says 
( “ If Masons fall into habits of indolence or in¬ 
temperance, in consequence of clustering together at 
public houses, they do so in defiance alike of the 
example and instruction of the Lodge room, where 
they are solemnly charged to avoid all irregularity 
and intemperance. And if, therefore, the same 
vices beset the hangers on of petty courts, the loung- 


Letters on Freemasonry, addressed to J. Q. Adams, p. 20. 




82 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


ers about country stores, &c., why should the ma¬ 
sonic Lodges alone be singled out for condemna¬ 
tion ?” 


FREEMASONRY AND RELIGION. 

“ If Masonry be not an universal religion, it forms a most beautiful 
auxiliary to every system of faith, which man’s freedom of thought has 
projected, to cany him to the one happy bourne, which is the common 
object of all our hopes and wishes.”— Oliver's Landmarks, ii. 87. 

Freemasonry is not religion. It does not claim to 
possess any of the renovating efficacy, or consoling 
influences, of that necessary ingredient in the moral 
constitution of man. When, therefore, the enemies 
of our Order charge the fraternity with endeavoring 
to make Masonry a substitute for religion, they 
know, if they know any thing at all about the mat¬ 
ter, that the claim is one that has never been ad¬ 
vanced, or attempted to be supported by the craft.. 

To the honest enquirer, our lectures would indeed 
remove every doubt upon this subject. Through 
them, an early opportunity is seized to inform the 
candidate, in the course of his instruction, that spe¬ 
culative Masonry is only so far interwoven with re¬ 
ligion, as to lay the Mason under obligation to pay 
that rational homage to the Deity, which should at 
once constitute his duty, and his happiness. 

But the Ancient Charges—the written and un¬ 
changeable law of our institution—not local, but 
universal in their application, extending their au¬ 
thority to all parts of the world, and governing and 
directing Masons wherever, they meet—are^ still 
more explicit. They teach us what is the con¬ 
nexion between Masonry and religion, in these em¬ 
phatic and unmistakeable words. 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


83 


# 

“A Mason is obliged, by his tenure, to obey the 
moral law; and if he rightly understands the art, 
he will never be a stupid atheist, nor an irreligious 
libertine. But though, in ancient times, Masons 
were charged in every country, to be of the religion 
of that country or nation, whatever it was, yet it is 
now thought more expedient, only to oblige them to 
that religion in which all men agree, leaving their 
particular opinions to themselves; that is, to be good 
men and true , or men of honor and honesty, by what¬ 
ever denominations or persuasions they may be dis¬ 
tinguished ; whereby Masonry becomes the centre 
of union, and the means of conciliating true friend¬ 
ship among persons, that must have remained at a 
perpetual distance .”—Ancient Charges , chap. I. 

Masonry then is not a religious sect. It has no 
creed, except that simple one of theism, in which 
all good and sensible men agree—no “ saving ordi¬ 
nances,” which must not be neglected at the peril 
of the soul—no decrees of councils to regulate its 
faith—no articles of belief which require an uncon¬ 
ditional subscription. It selects for no man, the 
mode and manner in which he must worship his 
maker; designates no peculiar church in which he 
must offer up his devotions ; directs no form of altar 
on which he must make his oblations; and insti¬ 
tutes no liturgy for his form of prayer; but leaves 
the religious tenets of each member, as a matter 
for his own conscience to prescribe. 

But although Masonry is not, in itself, either reli¬ 
gion, or a substitute for it, it is evidently a religious 
institution. If it be the object of religion, to bind 
us to the performance of our duties, by the sacred 
obligations which we owe to God; to point us to the 
hopes and expectations of another and a better 



84 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


woild ; and to direct us in the conduct of the pre¬ 
sent, by a standard which is to be applied to the 
future—then, in such a sense as this, Freemasonry 
is emphatically a religious institution. 

It teaches the existence of a God. It demands, 
as an imperative pre-requisite to admission, a belief 
in that Omnipotent Being, whose wisdom devised 
the universe, whose strength continues to support 
the vast design, and the beauty of whose holiness 
covers it as with a mantle. It points to the celes¬ 
tial canopy above, as the eternal Lodge in which he 
presides. It instructs us in the way to reach the 
portals of that distant temple, and reminds us of that 
faith which should never doubt—that hope which 
should never sicken—that charity which should 
never weary in well doing. 

The existence of a revealed religion, is a dogma 
which Freemasonry continually inculcates. It is 
true, it is does not enter into the speculations of pole-1 
mical theology, but leaves to each one’s conscience | 
the question of what that revelation is, and to God 
to judge whether that conscience has determined; 
rightly. Yet does it teach, that He who made man 
in his own image, and claimed, for this gracious 
boon, a blind obedience to his will, would not, in 
his mercy and justice, have made this exaction, un¬ 
less he had revealed to man the laws by which he 
was to be governed. Hence the revealed will of 
God, which, in Christian and Jewish Lodges, is ad¬ 
mitted to be the volume of Holy Scripture, is em¬ 
phatically said to be that great light of Masonry, 
whose bright effulgence, like a friendly beacon, 
warns us of the perils that surround us, and points! 
us to the haven of security. And it may surprize 
those who know nothing of the institution, to learnj 




THE MYSTIC TIE. 


85 


that, by the laws of the fraternity, no Lodge can 
legally proceed to business, until the sacred volume 
is opened upon the altar. 

With these views of the Deity, it is to be ex¬ 
pected that a reverence for his holy name must 
form a part of the Masonic creed. No Mason 
will readily forget that solemn moment in the 
course of his initiation, when the name of the Grand 
Geometrician of the Universe was first invoked, 
and when he was taught, ever at that name, to bow 
with humble submission and fearful awe. And so 
deeply is this lesson of reverence impressed, and so 
stringent are the laws which prescribe its enforcement, 
that instances of profanity are never known within 
the precincts of the Lodge. Men, reckless in their 
language in other places, and at other times, be¬ 
come, in that sacred asylum, religiously respectful 
in all their expressions. 

Thus, in all its sayings and doings, Masonry 
seeks the counsel and support of religion, and 
strives to unite itself with that holy institution. Yet 
not, as 1 have said already, with the religion of a 
sect; for Masonry, to be effective for good, must be 
a universal system, and sectarianism would destroy 
that universality. The Jew, the Mahometan, the 
Pagan, or the Christian, must be permitted to enter 
our Lodges without the fear of theological contro¬ 
versy, or the risk of dogmatical insult. Hence, to 
quote the language of the Rev. Dr. Oliver, “ all 
our charges, ail our regulations, assume as a foun¬ 
dation that cannot be moved, a belief in the being 
of a God, and a future state of rewards and punish¬ 
ments ; and inculcate the necessity of moral purhy 
as a qualification for future happiness; and this, 
according to our definitions, forms the sum and sub¬ 
stance of religion, in its most universal acceptation.” 

8 


86 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


Again I repeat, Masonry is not religion, but it is 
a religious institution. The Lodge is opened and 
closed with prayer; not the prayer of scoffing le¬ 
vity, but the conscientious and respectful petition for 
divine blessing. Prayer constitutes a part of all 
our solemn ceremonies, and religious instruction is 
interspersed throughout our lectures. And hence a 
reverend brother,* holding a high sacerdotal office 
in the Order, has said: “To be masonic, is to be 
truly religious in both its parts; first, seeking and 
cherishing in our hearts the true fear of God, and 
then, from this principle, bringing forth all the ami¬ 
able fruits of righteousness, which are the praise 
and glory of God-. To be truly masonic, in every 
sense of the word in which I can understand Ma¬ 
sonry, is to be truly religious, both in motive and in 
action.” 

To this panegyric, it may be objected, that Ma¬ 
sons do not always exhibit, out of the Lodge, that 
religious feeling, which, I have said, is inculcated 
by the institution. But I am not here defending 
the Mason ; it is Masonry —the Order —and not 
its members, that this volume is intended to eulo¬ 
gize. God forbid that any man should be so pre¬ 
sumptuous, as to claim for Freemasonry that power 
of preserving its disciples from error, which even 
the church of Christ so often fails to possess. The 
sacred desk, from which the minister of God is wont 
to communicate the message of his Master, and 
where nought but unsullied purity should enter, has 
sometimes been contaminated by an unworthy and 
a sinful occupant. But was religion then degraded 
—or did it become less pure, because one faltering 
son had fallen from his high estate ? And shall Ma- 


* Rev. Brother Grylls, Past Grand Chaplain of Cornwall, England. 



THE MYSTIC TIE. 


87 


sonry be condemned for its want of power to enforce 
its precepts; or be decried, because its teachings 
are not always carried into practice by its followers ? 
If the grace of religion is sometimes weak, the law 
of Masonry must not be expected to be more ef¬ 
fectual. 


FREEMASONRY AND POLITICS. 


“ Dans vos sujets a txaiter, ne touchez jamais aux gouvernmens ac- 
tuels, ni aux hommes qu’ils employment; contentez-vous du pass6, 
vous y trouverez suffisamment le miroir du present.” 

Lc veritable lien des peuples, liv. i. p. 14. 

There is no charge more frequently made against 
Freemasonry, than that of its tendency to revolu¬ 
tion and conspiracy, and to political organizations 
which may affect the peace of society, or interfere 
with the rights of governments. It was the substance 
of all Barruel’s and Robison’s accusations, that the 
Jacobinism of France and Germany were nurtured 
in the Lodges of those countries; it was the theme 
of all the denunciations of the anti-masons of our 
own land, that the Order was seeking a political as¬ 
cendancy, and an undue influence over the govern¬ 
ment ; it has been the unjust accusation of every ene¬ 
my of the Institution in all times past, that its object 
and aim is the possession of power and control in 
the affairs of state. It is in vain that history re¬ 
cords no instance of this unlawful connexion be¬ 
tween Freemasonry and politics—it is in vain that 
the libeller is directed to the ancient constitutions of 
the Order, which expressly forbid such connexion— 
the libel is still written, and Masonry is again and 
again condemned as a political club. 

The charge, that one of the objects of Freema- 


88 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


sonry is to subvert established governments, and 
overthrow the system of civil society, had been 
made from the days of Pope Clement XII., but was 
revived about the time of the French revolution, and 
especially asserted by two bitter opponents of the 
Order, the Abbe Barruel, in his “ Memoirs of Ja¬ 
cobinism,” and Professor Robison, in his “ Proofs 
of a Conspiracy against the Religions and Govern¬ 
ments of Europe, carried on in the secret meetings 
of Freemasons, Illuminati, &c.”—a work, the very 
title of which is a gross libel on the character of our 
institution. Barruel declares that irreligion, and 
unqualified liberty and equality, are the genuine se¬ 
crets of Freemasonry ; and Robison says, that the 
Lodges of France and Germany were the hot-beds 
in which the seeds were sown, and tenderly reared, 
of all the pernicious doctrines of atheism and anar¬ 
chy, which distinguished “ the reign of terror.” 

Barruel was a man of but little regard for truth 
or principle, of which his own book bears the evi¬ 
dence ; but Robison was very probably honest in 
his intentions, though utterly mistaken in his views ; 
and in fact, he committed the egregious error of 
confounding Freemasonry with the Illuminism of 
Weishaupt, and his followers—an institution with 
which it had no more to do, than it had with the 
Carbonari of Italy, or the Free Judges of Westpha¬ 
lia. “From what we have heard and read,” says 
the London Review for August, 1798, in an 
examination of Barruel’s book, “ we are persua¬ 
ded, that the fundamental principles and practices 
of Freemasonry are as opposite to those of the II- 
luminees, of the Propaganda, or of any other sect 
in hostility to good order and government, as light 
to darkness, or good to evil.” 

The accusation scarcely ought to need a defence. 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


89 


Contradicted by all the published rules and regu¬ 
lations of the institution, and opposed by all the 
facts of history, the very absurdity of the supposi¬ 
tion would seem to be its best refutation. “ If we 
appeal to fact, and to the history of all nations,” 
says Dr. Harris,* “ we shall find that Freemasons 
have always been peaceable and orderly members 
of society. Submissive, even under governments 
the most intolerant and oppressive, they silently 
cultivated their benevolent plan, and secured it con¬ 
fidence and protection, by exhibiting, in their con¬ 
duct, its mild, pacific, and charitable tendencies. 
They excited no factious resistance to established 
authorities, conspired in no turbulent and seditious 
schemes, exaggerated no grievances, nor even joined 
in the clamors of popular discontent. Making it a 
rule never to speak evil of dignities, nor interfere 
with the claims of lawful authority, they, at all 
times, and in all places, supported the character, 
and obtained the praise of liege subjects, and good 
citizens.” 

If those who thus blindly vituperate our institu¬ 
tion, were calmly and impartially to investigate its 
designs, by the aid of those lights which may easily 
be possessed—by the ancient regulations of our Or¬ 
der—by the charges made to our candidates, on 
their reception into the society—by the authority of 
history, which records no instance of a masonic 
Lodge having been engaged in conspiracy or rebel¬ 
lion—and lastly, by the lives of those eminent pa¬ 
triots, who, in all ages, have been found among the. 
most zealous members. of the craft—all of which 
are authorities as accessible to the profane as to the 
initiated—they would scarcely continue to urge 


8 * 


Discourses, p. 204. 




90 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


against the system of Freemasonry, or against its 
disciples, the objection of insubordination to the 
constituted authority of government. 

The “ Ancient Charges,” which are the funda¬ 
mental laws of our institution, use, on this subject, 
the most explicit terms : 

“ A Mason is a peaceable subject to the civil 
powers, wherever he resides or works, and is never 
to be concerned in plots and conspiracies against 
the peace and welfare of the nation, nor to behave 
himself undutifully to inferior magistrates; for as 
Masonry hath been always injured by war, blood¬ 
shed, and confusion, so ancient kings and princes 
have been much disposed to encourage the crafts¬ 
men, because of their peaceableness and loyalty, 
whereby they practically answered the cavils of 
their adversaries, and promoted the honor of the 
fraternity, who have ever flourished in times of 
peace.”* 

Still stronger is the instruction given in a sub¬ 
sequent part of the same document: 

“ No private piques, or quarrels, must be brought 
within the door of the Lodge, far less any quar¬ 
rels about religions, or nations, or state policy; we 
being only, as Masons, of the universal religion 
above-mentioned; we are also of all nations, 
tongues, kindreds, and languages, and are resolved 
against all politics, as what never yet conduced to 
the welfare of the Lodge, nor ever will.”t 

In the charge, or admonition to an Entered Ap¬ 
prentice, on the evening of his initiation, a docu¬ 
ment to be found in every masonic manual, and 
open to the inspection of the world, the language 
used is not less unmistakeable. 


Ancient Charges, chap. ii. t Ibid. chap. vi. $2. 




THE MYSTIC TIE. 


91 


“ In the state, you are to be a quiet and peace¬ 
able subject, true to your government, and just to 
your country ; you are not to countenance disloyalty 
or rebellion, but patiently submit to legal authority, 
and conform with cheerfulness to the government of 
the country in which you live.” 

Lastly, this doctrine is repeated in the course of 
the ceremony of inducting the Master of a Lodge 
into office. After the election of the presiding offi¬ 
cer of a Lodge, and before his installation, he is 
called upon to make, in open Lodge, and in the pre¬ 
sence of all thfe brethren, the following, among 
other declarations, and is addressed in the follow¬ 
ing language by the installing officer. 

“ Brother —Previous to your investiture, it is ne¬ 
cessary that you should signify your assent to those 
ancient charges and regulations, which point out 
the duty of a Master of a Lodge. 

“1. You agree to be a good man and true, and 
strictly to obey the moral law. 

“ 2. You agree to be a peaceable subject, and 
cheerfully to conform to the laws of the country in 
which you reside. 

“ 3. You promise not to be concerned in plots and 
conspiracies against government; but patiently to 
submit to the decisions of the supreme legislature. 

“ 4. You agree to pay a proper respect to the 
civil magistrates; to work diligently, live credita¬ 
bly, and act honorably by all men.” 

These are the principles of Freemasonry set forth 
in the authorized rituals and books of law of the in¬ 
stitution, and that they are effectually practised by 
the craft, is evident, from the fact, that the purest 
patriots, the most enlightened statesmen and dignified 
magistrates, whose sworn duty it was to uphold the 
laws, with kings and princes, whose very existence 


92 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


was interwoven with, and dependant upon, the con¬ 
tinuance of the state, have been the patrons, friends, 
and members of the Order. Such men as Frede¬ 
rick of Prussia, a despotic sovereign, whose posi¬ 
tion, as such, must have made him distrustful of 
conspiracies, or political discussions; or Napoleon, j 
the monarch of a popular tumult, and who, as he ! 
owed every thing to rebellion, had every thing to j 
fear from it; or Washington, the purest patriot that ! 
ever lived, and who was by principle as much op¬ 
posed to secret plots, as the others were by in¬ 
terest—such men would scarcely' have patronized 
an institution, whose secret, but suspected object, 
was to overthrow all governments, to dethrone all 
kings, and to prostrate all legitimate authority. It 
was, in truth, the absence of all such design, which 
their intimate acquaintance with the institution, 
showed them to be the fact, that made them, not ; 
only the friends of Freemasonry, but zealous and 
active Freemasons. 

A single anecdote may relieve the dryness of a 
tedious disquisition, and serve as a practical illus¬ 
tration of the argument we have here advanced. 

At one period during the reign of Napoleon, when : 
the disasters of war, and the multiplication of the 
conscriptions for new soldiers—it was after the mis¬ 
fortunes of the Russian campaign—had in some de- I 
gree cooled the enthusiasm of the people for their | 
emperor, and produced a general discontent, some ; 
of the enemies of Freemasonry endeavored to per¬ 
suade him that the Rourbonists were using the ma- i 
sonic Lodges as the means of concocting conspira- i 
cies for the restoration of the dethroned family. A 
Lodge whose members were mechanics and trades- j 
people, and whose locality was the Faubourg St. , 
Marcel, was especially pointed out as being busily 



THE MYSTIC TIE. 


93 


engaged in the plot. Napoleon, who was himself a 
Mason, and therefore slow to believe that any Lodge 
in masonic France, would thus corrupt the original 
design of the institution, determined, before he would 
give credence to the report, to ascertain its truth or 
falsehood, by the unerring guide of a personal in¬ 
spection. Accompanied, therefore, by Duroc, and 
Lauriston, he one evening repaired to the Faubourg 
St. Marcel. Duroc first entered the Lodge room, 
and taking his seat next to the Master, he informed 
that officer, in a low voice, that two other visitors 
would soon arrive, whom he enjoined him to receive 
without ceremony; and should he recognize them, 
to make no manifestation of his recognition. A few 
moments afterward, Napoleon and Lauriston made 
their appearance, and their persons being unknown 
to the members, they quietly took their seats in the 
room. The Emperor remained about half an hour, 
and listened to the harmless, and certainly not poli¬ 
tical discussions, with which the brethren were oc¬ 
cupied. He then retired, fully satisfied that the re¬ 
ports, which had been made to him of the revolu¬ 
tionary designs of the Lodge of St. Marcel, were 
founded in envy, or malice, or prejudice, or any 
thing else, but truth. 

THE SCIENCE OF FREEMASONRY. 

“ There is no subject existing within the range and grasp of the hu¬ 
man intellect; be it the most subtle and various; be it high as the hea¬ 
vens above, or deep as the earth beneath—no secret of creation—-into 
which the science of Freemasonry does not enter, in the pursuit of 
wisdom, knowledge, and virtue.” 

Sermon by Rev. G. Roberts, Vicar of Monmouth, England. 

“For a century,” says the' learned Dr. Oliver,* 
“ Freemasonry has been gradually advancing in 


Historical Landmarks of Freemasonry, vol. i. p. 30. 




94 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


public opinion, but its progress has been slow and j 
uncertain. Its beauty and usefulness are now be- \ 
coming more apparent. It is taking its rank among 
the institutions of the country; and if it be nou¬ 
rished by the patronage of wealth and talent, it will 
be placed before mankind as an Order, in which the 
pleasing pursuits of science are blended with mora¬ 
lity and virtue on the one hand, and benevolence j 
and charity on the other.” 

It is this scientific character of Freemasonry, j 
which forms one of its principal claims to the con- : 
sideration of the literary world. The Mason who t 
supposes that, by his connexion with the institution, f 
he is simply placed in possession of certain modes ;i 
of recognition, and merely obligated to certain du¬ 
ties of brotherly love and charity, falls far short of 
truth, in his estimation of the extent of its claims i' 
and character. Perfect as is its method of forming 
one universal bond of brotherhood throughout the j 
whole compass of the globe, and admirable as is its i 
system of furnishing relief to the destitute, these \\ 
are not its only merits. The Mason who does not 
think otherwise—who does not investigate it as a j 
system of philosophy—who does not cultivate it as !| 
an institution whose object is, in the language of! 
Lawrie, “to inform the minds of its members, by 
instructing them in the sciences and useful arts”— 
may be honest in all his intentions, and may indeed : 
do all that his contracted views will permit, to ad¬ 
vance the interests of the Order, but he can ; 
never hope to distinguish himself as a bright and 
useful member of the fraternity. 

The Grand Lodge of England has shown some- ‘ 
thing of this just appreciation of the character and 
the aim of the masonic institution, in making an ac¬ 
quaintance with some of the liberal arts and sci- 





THE MYSTIC TIE. 


95 


ences a prerequisite qualification of the candidates 
under its jurisdiction. Such a view has always 
prevailed among the most intelligent Masons, and 
the fact that there have been, and still are, members 
of the fraternity, who are neither scientific nor in¬ 
telligent, is no more an objection to this claim, than 
it would be to say that colleges are not places dedi¬ 
cated to the pursuits of learning, because dunces 
are often found within their walls. 

There are two kinds of Masonry, operative and 
speculative. With the former, we have here no¬ 
thing to do, except to say that it is the nucleus 
around which the latter has been formed, and that 
it has supplied the symbols, and technical language 
of the Order. It is in speculative Masonry that we find 
that beautiful system of science, to which we have 
been here adverting ; but the whole extent and com¬ 
pass of which, it is impossible to communicate to 
an uninitiate. Some inkling of its character may, 
however, be learned from the following definition, 
given by one of our most distinguished writers.* 

“ Here we find completed the true philosophy of 
Freemasonry. The three degrees blend doctrine, 
morality, and science, tradition and history, into a 
grand and beautiful system, which, if studied with 
attention, and practised with sincerity, will inspire 
a holy confidence that the Lord of Life will enable 
us to trample the king of terrors beneath our feet, 
and lift our eyes to the bright morning star, whose 
rising brings peace and salvation to the faithful and 
obedient to the holy word of God. There is, in¬ 
deed, scarcely a point of duty or morality, which 
man has been presumed to owe to God, his neigh¬ 
bor, or himself, under the Patriarchal, the Mosaic, 


Oliver, ut supra, vol. i. p. 186. 




96 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


.or the Christian dispensations, which, in the con¬ 
struction of our symbolical system, has been left 
untouched. The forms and ceremonies, secrets 
and landmarks, the types and allegories of* Free- 
masonry, present copious subjects of investigation, 
which cannot be easily exhausted. The nature of 
the Lodge, its form, dimensions, and support; its 
ground, situation, and covering; its ornaments, fur¬ 
niture, and jewels, all unite their aid to form a per¬ 
fect code of moral and theological philosophy, 
which, while it fascinates the understanding, im¬ 
proves the mind, until it becomes polished like the 
perfect ashlar, and can only be tried by the square 
of God’s word, and the unerring compass of con¬ 
science.” 

The fact is, that the philosophic system of Free¬ 
masonry is exceedingly comprehensive in its cha¬ 
racter, and bears a close connexion with the gene¬ 
ral literature of all preceding ages. The history of 
the origin of the institution, and of its rites and ce¬ 
remonies, will bring the student into a profound in¬ 
vestigation of the manners and customs, and the I 
astronomy, the theology, and the mythology of anti¬ 
quity. The ancient mysteries present a fertile field 
for inquiry, and without a very intimate acquaint¬ 
ance with their history and character, it is impossi¬ 
ble profitably to value the legendary instructions of 
Freemasonry. The Cabbala, a science much mis¬ 
understood, and consequently much vituperated, is 
also closely connected with the symbolic and 
esoteric doctrines of our Order, and the expert Ma¬ 
son will scarcely find himself competent to complete 
the investigations into which he will have to enter, 
in the prosecution of our mysteries, unless he de¬ 
votes some part of his labors to the study of Jewish 
antiquities. So fully was the learned missionary, 



THE MYSTIC TIE. 


97 


Dr. Wolff, convinced of the important aid which he 
should derive from Freemasonry in these studies, 
that, on his initiation in a Lodge in England, he 
publicly stated, that he had long wished to join the 
Order, that he might increase his usefulness, and 
be able to enter more fully, and more understand- 
ingly, into certain peculiarities of sacred antiquity. 

Of the relationship which exists between Free¬ 
masonry and the ancient systems of initiation, those 
mysterious organizations which served as the basis 
of all the civil, political, and religious laws of the 
ancient world, no Mason is ignorant, who has paid 
any attention to the nature of the two institutions. 
The similarity of their rites and doctrines, conclu¬ 
sively shows that they were derived from some 
common source, some great primitive system which, 
at an early period, long before the records of his¬ 
tory, pervaded the whole earth, and was a bond of 
union to the human race. Hence the masonic stu¬ 
dent is at once directed, in the commencement of 
his investigations, to the consideration of these an¬ 
cient mysteries; and I do not hesitate to say, that 
as a knowledge of Freemasonry, in its esoteric cha¬ 
racter, cannot be attained without an accompanying 
consideration of these mysteries, so neither can the 
true constitution and design of these be understood 
by one, who has not previously investigated the prin¬ 
ciples, the object, and aim of the masonic insti¬ 
tution. 

Ragon,* a learned French masonic writer, says 
that each of the three degrees of Masonry, presents 
the following three subjects to the meditation of the 
Mason. 


* Cours philosophise et interpretatif des initiations aneiennes et 
modemes, p. 171. 

9 





98 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


1. The history of the human race classified by 
epochs. 

2. The history of civilization, and of the pro¬ 
gress of the human mind in the arts and sciences, 
as produced by the ancient mysteries. 

3. The knowledge of nature, or the knowledge 
of the Divinity manifested in his works, and of all 
religions. 

On the continent of Europe, until within a few 
years, more attention has been paid to the scientific 
and philosophical character of the institution, than 
either in Great Britain or America ; and an English 
writer* of the last century, speaking of continental 
masonry, says that a Lodge in foreign countries is 
eminently styled an Academy, and that there, a 
Freemason signifies a friend and an admirer or a 
professor of liberal science. At present, however, 
in consequence of the learned labors of many zea¬ 
lous masonic writers, among whom we may men¬ 
tion Oliver and Crucifix, of England; and Moore, 
Chandler, and Tannehill, of America, the reproach 
of indifference is now ceasing any longer to exist 
among the English and American Lodges. Some 
notion of the extent of study which is required to 
make a “ bright Mason,” may be obtained from the 
following catalogue of the subjects of meditation, 
appropriated to each of the last six degrees which 
compose the rite of Fessler, a rite of Masonry very 
extensively diffused throughout Germany. 

The first, second, and third, are the primitive 
degrees, and are occupied with the general science 
of the Order. 

In the fourth degree, called “ Holy of Holies,” 


* Rev. James Watson, Master of a Lodge in Lancaster, England; 
the expression is quoted by Oliver, in his Landmarks, vol. 1, p. 5. 




THE MYSTIC TIE. 99 

the Mason is occupied in an enquiry into the deduc¬ 
tion of the origin of the Order from the crusades ; 
from the building of the Cathedral of Strasburg; 
from the Rosicrusians and scholars of the seven¬ 
teenth century; from the times of Cromwell; from 
the building of St. Paul’s, at London; from the 
building of Kensington Palace ; and from the Je¬ 
suits.* 

The fifth degree, the name of which is “ Justi¬ 
fication,” has for its science, ( Tcenntnisse ,) the state¬ 
ment,'critical examination, and rectification of all 
the hypotheses on the origin of the Order, as set 
forth in the degree of the Knight of St. Andrew, in 
the Scotch rite, and in the system of Clermont. 

In the sixth degree, or “ Celebration,” this criti¬ 
cal examination is extended to the hypotheses of the 
Rose Croix, of the rite of Strict Observance, of the 
African Builders and Asiatic Brothers. 

In the seventh degree, called “ True Light,” the 
examination is continued to the hypotheses of the 
Swedish rite, of that of Zinnendorf, and of the En¬ 
glish Royal Arch, and concludes with a review of 
the ancient mysteries, and of all systems and rites. 

The eighth degree, named “ The Country,” calls 
for meditation on the mysteries brought by Christ 
from the heavenly kingdom, on the esoteric dogmas 
imparted by him to his confidential disciples, and 
on the fate of these dogmas from his death, to the 
appearance of the sect of Gnostics. 

The ninth, and last degree, the name of which is 
“ Perfection/’ consists of an elaborate review of the 
fate of all the mysteries, and extends the historical 


* The masonic student, while he admits the extensive character of 
these investigations, will readily discover, that none of the events here 
alluded to, furnish a proper starting point for the history of Freema¬ 
sonry. 



100 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


research from the earliest times, to the organization 
of the Royal York Grand Lodge, at Berlin. 

It will be seen from this brief syllabus, that the in¬ 
vestigations here presented to the masonic student, 
offer a wide scope of abstruse learning, embracing 
subjects of antiquity, of archaeology, of mythology, 
religion, philosophy, and history, which are of deep 
interest to, and of extensive relationship with, the 
past, and the present destinies of the human race. 

In another view, the scientific character of Free- * 
masonry claims our notice. Among the various de- j 
finitions of Freemasonry which have been given, no 
one has received so much favor from the fraternity, 
or appears more precisely to exhibit its true charac¬ 
ter, than that which is contained in the lectures of 
the English ritual, and which describes it as “a 
beautiful system of morality, veiled in allegory, and 
illustrated by symbols.” It is for this method of 
conveying instruction in morals, by the assistance 
of symbolic lessons, that Freemasonry is peculiarly 
worthy of admiration ; and for having reduced this 
method to a perfect and uniform system, it is entitled 
to the appellation of a Science of Symbols. 

This is no new nor puerile science. It has ex¬ 
isted almost from the foundations of the world. 
Faber speaks of a “ scheme of symbolical machi¬ 
nery,” in use among the ancient patriarchs; and 
which, derived from the events of the deluge, was 
afterwards perverted by the schools of paganism 
from its original design. This scheme, enlarged 
and modified by subsequent history, has been re¬ 
claimed, and constitutes a part of the science of 
Freemasonry. Stukeley, the celebrated antiquary, 
says, that “ the first learning in the world consisted 
chiefly in symbols;” and a commentator on Plato 
tells us, that “ it was the mode of the ancient phi- 




THE MYSTIC TIE. 


101 


losophers, to represent truth by certain symbols, and 
hidden images.” We know that the Egyptian 
priests made use of symbolical instruction. From 
them Pythagoras acquired the method, and it was 
adopted in all the ancient mysteries, as the mode of 
communicating their esoteric doctrines. 

This system of symbolical instruction is more¬ 
over a science, because, to comprehend it, a previ¬ 
ous course of study is required. The difference 
between an emblem and a symbol, is this: the em¬ 
blem demands a certain resemblance between the 
sensible object, and the thought to be expressed; 
but the symbol has necessarily no such resemblance 
—the relation here is altogether fictitious and con¬ 
ventional ; and hence, says Marmontel, “ some as¬ 
sistance is always required for the comprehension 
of a symbol, and its signification is a mystery, into 
which there must be an initiation.”* Freemasonry 
being then, as it has already been defined, a sys¬ 
tem of morality illustrated by symbols, the required 
initiation into it, is but another name for the 
commencement of the study of the science of 
symbols ; not merely symbols conventionally adopt¬ 
ed for its own peculiar design ; but, in the first place, 
the whole S 3 7 stem of symbolical instruction, as it 
was practised by the ancient patriarchs; and 
which system, masonic writers have termed Primi¬ 
tive, or Noachite Freemasonry; next, the system as 
it was perverted by the inventors of paganism, and 
which is called Spurious Freemasonry; and lastly, 
the same system, augmented, modified, and adapt¬ 
ed to later dispensations, and which is distin¬ 
guished as Hiramite Freemasonry. Clothing its 


* L’intelligence du Symbole a toujours besoin d’un peu d’aide, et la 
signification est un mystere auquel il faut etre initio .—Encyclopedic 
Metkodique au moU 

9 * 



102 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


moral and theological instructions under this mystic 
veil, Freemasonry grants the knowledge and full 
participation of its sublime truths to those only, who 
assiduously labor for their attainment. And thus, 
it may be said to use the language of that Orphic 
poem, which was chaunted by the Hierophant in 
the Eleusinian mysteries. “ I will declare a secret 
to those to whom it is lawful, but let the door be 
shut against all the profane.”* 

It is not, however, every Mason, who attains to 
this complete knowledge of the science of his pro¬ 
fession. Many continue to loiter in the porch of 
the temple, unwilling to enter its sanctuary, or un¬ 
able to appreciate the divine treasures which it con¬ 
tains. These are the men who too often speak 
slightingly of Freemasonry, in their ignorance of its 
true design. Others there are, who advance further 
in its mysterious passages, but yet, from sloth, or 
imbecility, never succeed in embracing within their 
grasp, the whole of its sublime philosophy. They 
know enough to respect and admire the institution, 
but they have not for it that warm, undying attach¬ 
ment, which distinguishes only the attentive vota¬ 
ries, who have deeply drunk of its waters of truth. 
To these men Dr. Oliver alludes, in the following 
passage. 

“The Order of Freemasonry contains a great 
number of brethren, who are in the constant prac¬ 
tice of its rites, and yet rarely apply the science 
they professedly admire, to any other purpose 
than that which is broadly laid down in its ordinary 
lectures. The historical portion of these interesting 
elucidations is considered to possess a tendency to 

'* <Pd£y%oiuii olg soVi, dupag d’enl&sa&s (3s(3r}Xoig 
Ilatfjv ojuiwj. 

See it quoted in the Praeparatio Evangelica of Eusebius, Jib. xiii. 






THE MYSTIC TIE. 


103 


fix important truths in our recollection, and to pos¬ 
sess no further utility or reference. The preceptive 
admonitions which read us a lesson on the theolo¬ 
gical, cardinal, and moral virtues, and other essen¬ 
tial duties of our station, are prized on account of 
their intrinsic merits, as incitements to the practice 
of our relative and social duties to God, our neigh¬ 
bor, and ourselves; and when the attention is di¬ 
rected to the symbolical instructions of Freemason¬ 
ry, the common interpretation is usually considered 
perfectly satisfactory; and the superficial Mason 
looks for no mystical or second meaning, which may 
tend to throw an additional light on the system, and 
invest it with new and increasing interest; forget¬ 
ting that the principal characteristic of the craft is, 
that being veiled in allegory, it can be illustrated by 
no other method, than the use of significant sym¬ 
bols.”* 

If, however, the candidate of Masonry, upon his 
initiation, devotes himself with studious attention 
to the investigation of the antiquities of the Order, 
examines it in all its relations to the mystic philoso¬ 
phy of the ancient world, compares and collates its 
system of symbols with that of other rites, and ac¬ 
quires, by this training, the true knowledge of all our 
esoteric doctrines, he will be richly repaid for all his 
toil, and find, at each step that he advances, some¬ 
thing more to love and admire in the institution with 
which he has connected himself. To such a stu¬ 
dent, to all who have already entered within our 
fold, and to all who intend to seek admission, I can¬ 
not do better than to repeat the advice given by our 
brother Oliver, in his profound work on Signs and 
Symbols.! 


* Historical Landmarks, vol. i. p. 381. t Lecture I., p. 19. 



104 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


“We have here,” says this distinguished writer, 
while referring to the science of symbols, “ a fund of 
pleasant research offered to our investigation, which ; 
cannot fail to repay the active Mason, for any extent 
of labor, he may be induced to bestow upon it. And 
I must recommend you, to apply yourselves assidu¬ 
ously, to this curious and amusing study. In the 
prosecution of such an useful and instructing pur¬ 
suit, do not suffer your attention to be abstracted by 
the idiot laugh of ridicule, or the cynical sneer of 
contempt; but, proceed in an undeviating course to 
the investigation of truth, assured that the beautiful 
results will amply reward your labors. If you prac¬ 
tise Masonry for the sake of its convivialities alone, 
it will soon pall on your mind; for these are intro¬ 
duced into the system, only to cheer and relieve 
nature, after its painful and unwearied researches, 
into the hidden stores of masonic knowledge; but if 
your mind embrace the great principles of Masonry, 
as the chief source of gratification, and use its lighter 
shades of enjoyment, merely as temporary relaxa- I 
tions, when the hour of graver labor has expired; 
you will then enjoy every benefit the science can ' 
impart; your expanding genius will soon be imbued : 
with all the vigor of a healthy intellect, matured and 
ripened by a rich increase of scientific and religious 
knowledge, and your mind rapidly advancing to 
perfection, will ultimately be prepared for the full 
irradiations of complete and never-fading glory, 
when time shall be no more.” 



THE MYSTIC TIE. 


105 


THE MORAL DESIGN OF THE MASONIC 
DEGREES. 


“A Mason is obliged by his tenure to obey the moral law; and if he 
rightly understands the art, he will never be a stupid atheist, nor an ir¬ 
religious libertine .”—Ancient Charges, ch. 1. 

Freemasonry has been defined to be a beautiful 
system of morality, veiled in allegory, and illustra¬ 
ted by symbols. It is this, which at once consti¬ 
tutes its excellence as a code of ethics, and its beauty 
as a system of instruction. It is, in fact, one vast 
apologue, whose object, like that of the fanciful fa¬ 
bles of that Eastern land whence it sprung, is to 
inculcate virtue by the attractive form of emblema¬ 
tic devices. Hence, there is no ceremony of our 
institution—not even the minutest, and apparently, 
the most trifling, that is not clothed with some sym¬ 
bolic signification, and that does not in its very use, 
teach the skilful Mason the practice of some moral 
precept. The lights that are placed in our Lodge, 
while they serve to disperse the physical darkness, 
are intended also, to shed the rays of intellectual 
illumination—the distinctive vestments with which 
we are clothed, and the appropriate jewels which 
distinguish our officers—have each their emblematic 
meaning—and the very tools which were used by 
our operative ancestors, have been diverted from 
their original intention, and serve in the speculative 
order, to convey important lessons of morality. 

The system of allegorical instruction is not, how¬ 
ever, confined to these minor points. It is extended 
throughout the whole construction of the masonic 
fabric, which like a vast mansion, divided into many 
apartments, contains in each degree of which it is 
composed, a distinct and separate inculcation of 




106 the mystic tie. 

some virtuous principle, the practice of which is in- j 
doctrinated by our peculiar system of symbols and 
allegory. The character of this system of instruc¬ 
tion will be better understood by a detailed view of 
the organization of the three primitive degrees,* al¬ 
though to test its truth, or fully to comprehend its | 
beauty, each enquirer must enter for himself upon 
the search. 

Freemasonry as it now exists, is believed, from 
our traditional information, to have arisen at the 
building of King Solomon’s Temple, and was at | 
first exclusively confined to the operative architects j: 
and masons, who were engaged in the construction 
of that glorious edifice. Hence, the degrees of En- j 
tered Apprentice, Fellow-Craft, and Master Mason, ! 
allude .to the division into those classes, which at ! 
that time existed among the workmen at Jerusalem. 
Other events, which afterwards transpired, but of 
which I cannot here write, gave rise to other degrees, , 
to which however, I shall but briefly advert, direct¬ 
ing the attention more particularly to those primi¬ 
tive ones, which have always been considered as 
constituting Ancient Craft Masonry. 

The degree of Entered Apprentice, is the first in 
which the aspirant for masonic knowledge is initiated, 
and hence it is said to be emblematical of the early 
period of life, commencing with birth, and termina¬ 
ting with the approach of puberty. This allegory, 
by all the ceremonies, symbols, and instructions of the 
degree, is conveyed to the candidate with a beautiful 
consistency. The blind ignorance and helplessness 
and destitution of infancy, are impressively pour- 
trayed. The first lessons of faith in God, of hope 


* I do not extend these illustrations further than these primitive de- l , 
grees, not because the higher degrees will not admit of them, but be- ! 
cause I desire that every thing contained in this work shall be applicable 
to the general system, and be comprehended by every Master Mason. 









THE MYSTIC TIE. 


107 


lor immortality, and charity to all mankind, are em¬ 
blematically inculcated. The necessities and advan¬ 
tages of a virtuous education, are pointed out; the 
practice of those cardinal virtues, Temperance, For¬ 
titude, Prudence, and Justice, are recommended; 
and the obligations of willingness, (which in our anti¬ 
quated language we call freedom,) of fervency and 
zeal, in the discharge of all of our duties, are recoun¬ 
ted to the candidate. Nor are those lessons, well be¬ 
fitting the period of youth, taught alone in what the 
old Greek called ‘ winged words,” which, passing 
with rapid flight, after a time, leave no trace of their 
visit in the memory. But each precept is accompa¬ 
nied with some allegorical ceremony, or some sym¬ 
bolical allusion, which irrevocably impresses it upon 
the heart, and seems on all future occasions, to ena¬ 
ble a single sign, or word, or brief allusion, to remind 
the Mason of his duties. 

In the second degree, as a Fellow-Craft, the can- 
I didate is made to represent the period of manhood. 
Here it is supposed that the virtuous principles, in¬ 
culcated in the first degree, or period of youth are to 
receive the reward to which their practice is entitled. 
The corn of nourishment, the wine of refreshment, 
and the oil of joy, are here bestowed upon him, who 
has been faithful in his labor, and diligent in the dis¬ 
charge of his duties. He is admonished that unity is 
strength, that peace is happiness, and that plent}- 
must crown the labors of industry. He is reminded by 
peculiar rites, that the Institution into which he has 
been received, was established in the strength of Je¬ 
hovah, and depends on His support alone, for its fu¬ 
ture prosperity. 

But the Fellow-Craft, in his representation of the 
stage of manhood, is taught to extend the principles 
of education, which were instilled in the first de- 




108 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


gree, to the acquisition of useful knowledge. Wis¬ 
dom, which “ cannot be valued with the gold of 
Ophir, and whose price is above rubies,” is here 
pursued with unremitting attention. The human 
senses, those avenues to all human intelligence, and 
the liberal arts and sciences, by the pursuit of which 
man elevates his condition, and enlarges his mind, 
are made the subjects of impressive and interesting 
contemplation, as leading the grateful recipient of 
these truths, to that humble reverence and fervid 
adoration of God, which forms a striking portion of 
the ritual of this degree. 

The third, or Master’s degree, is emblematic of 
old age, with its trials, its sufferings, and its final 
termination. Youth has long since passed away— 
manhood has fallen into the sere and yellow leaf; 
but the virtuous principles inculcated in the one, and 
the useful knowledge acquired in the other, are now 
to exercise their legitimate province, in sustaining 
integrity and truth. The lessons inculcated in this 
degree, are so unutterably beyond what any mere 
description can convey, and so far surpass any thing 1 
that the candidate has as yet received, that the at- j 
tribute of sublime has been, by unanimous consent, i 
conferred upon it. 

While its precepts, and ceremonies, dilate upon 
all those moral qualities, which should distin- ' 
guish the aged being, “ whose days are dwindled to S 
the latest span as, for instance, that pure heart, 
which is the most acceptable sacrifice to Deity— 
that silence and circumspection which should dis¬ 
tinguish age from youth, and that well-grounded 
hope, which can arise only from the consciousness 
of rectitude ; it tells us also of the rapid progress of 
human life, which, like the passing sands of an i 
hour-glass, is fast drawing to a close—of time, 



THE MYSTIC TIE. 


109 


which is but the introduction to eternity, and of that 
all-seeing eye, from whose searching glance no 
thought is hidden. And thus, by these mournful 
contemplations, are we gently led to the last hour 
of humanity, when the soul is delivered to the bitter 
I pangs of death—when the dust returns to the earth 
as it was, and the spirit unto God who gave it. 

If the first and second degrees admonish the Ma¬ 
son how to live, the last gives a still more important 
lesson, and teaches him how to die. 

Thus it is, that in its first inception, Freemasonry 
becomes a science of morality, and teaches, by its 
very division into various distinctive grades, lessons 
of wisdom and piety. But, if we penetrate still- 
further into its mysterious recesses, we shall find 
the same moral and religious character pervading 
its whole organization—each step we take, will dis¬ 
cover to our delighted view’, some visible picture de¬ 
lineated on its tracing board, which shadows forth 
to the eye, and inculcates to the heart, the purest 
doctrines of virtue. The. rude implements of build¬ 
ing, which, in the hands of the profane, are devoted 
to the base uses of an operative art, are*revealed to 
the initiated as precious jewels, glittering with a 
brightness borrowed from the lamp of eternal wis¬ 
dom, and lighting the worthy adept in the way to 
truth. 

Hence Masonry has properly been called a sci¬ 
ence of morality. Its morality consisting in the 
precepts which it inculcates, and the practice it de¬ 
mands, from its followers; and its science, in the 
process by which these precepts are taught, and this 
practice maintained. 

The doctrine which I have here endeavored to 
establish, of the moral tendency of Freemasonry, 
is confirmed by the concurrent opinions of all other 
10 





110 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


writers ; and indeed will be found to be abundantly 
corroborated by the testimonies of the most distin¬ 
guished Masons, inserted in the present work. It 
may, however, be deemed expedient to adduce, be¬ 
fore concluding this article, a few authorities, in 
support of the statement which has been advanced. 

The Rev. Dr. Harris, speaking of the moral les¬ 
sons of Freemasonry, says: 

“ In our Lodges they are illustrated by the most 
engaging examples, and enforced by the most pa¬ 
thetic lectures: while the signet of heavenly truth 
stamps them, on every yielding, receptive heart, in 
characters indelible. This solemn declaration I 
make in the fear of God, as well as love of the 
brethren.”* 

The Rev. Mr. Hutchinson describes the moral de¬ 
sign of the institution in the following language : 

“It instructs us in our duty to our neighbor; 
teaches us not to injure him in any of his connexions, 
and in all our dealings with him to act with justice 
and impartiality. It discourages defamation; it 
bids us not to circulate any whisper of infamy, im¬ 
prove any hint of suspicion, or publish any failure 
of conduct. It orders us to be faithful to our trusts ; . 
not to deceive him who relieth upon us ; to be above 
the manners of dissimulation; to let the words of 
our mouths express the thoughts of our hearts ; and 
whatsoever we promise religiously to perform.”! 

“ One thing is clear,” says another reverend wri¬ 
ter,:}: “that every sign and symbol which we use, 
offers a lecture to the thoughtful mind, reminding us 


* Discourses by Thaddeus Mason Harris, p. 113. 
t Spirit of Masonry, p. 150. 

t Freemasonry. A Sermon preached in the Parish Church of St. 
Martin, Lincoln, (Eng.) 31st August, 1843, by Rev. J. Osmond Da- 
keyne, M. A. 




THE MYSTIC TIE. 


Ill 


of our mortality, and how to conduct ourselves du¬ 
ring it: and of our immortality, and how to strive, 
so as to pass through the «tomb of transgression,’ 
and the ‘valley of the shadow of death,’ unto it. 
And thus we teach—and so our craft, 


‘--—exempt from public haunts, 

Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, 

Sermons m stones, and good in every thing.’ ” 

The Rev. Henry Grylls, # in referring the origin of 
our Order to Solomon’s Temple, thus dilates upon 
the union of science and morality, among the crafts¬ 
men engaged in the erection of that edifice, a union 
that has descended to their speculative successors. 

“ If we trace our Order by the science which gave 
it birth, without recurring to the creation, as has 
been done ; or to the chief subject of creation, man, 
we shall find it of great antiquity ; but without con¬ 
tending for a higher origin, we refer it with confi¬ 
dence to the building of Solomon’s Temple. The 
general history of this memorable building, is well 
known; consummate wisdom delineated the plan, 
and the craftsman achieved the design of the great 
Architect of the Universe. Under this knowledge, 
we cannot be surprized that science and morality 
went hand in hand. We are taught that the work¬ 
men were divided into classes, under competent di¬ 
rections ; that the implements of operative Masonry 
were made symbols of moral duties ; and from the 
nature and interpretation of those symbols, handed 
by tradition down to us, we learn, that the purport 
of them was to form good men ; to inspire a love of 
fidelity, truth, and justice; to promote friendship 


*In a Sermon, preached 16th April, 1844, in the Parish Church of 
Falmouth, Eng. 





112 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


and social manners; to associate men under the 
banners of voluntary order and virtue. It is from 
this high origin that we derive our existence as a 
society ; from this source we draw our line, our rule, 
and our compass; it is from hence, that we adopt 
the measure of space used as such by the operative 
Mason, and apply it to ourselves as a measure of 
time, giving us an orderly routine of duties.” 

And with this extract I may appropriately, and, I 
trust, safely conclude the argument, in favor of the 
moral design of the degrees of Freemasonry. 


THE TENETS OF FREEMASONRY. 


“ The Essenes taught that the best temper for mail consisted in three 
affections: love of God; love of the Truth; and love of Man: and 
that the best employments of man corresponded to these, viz., contem¬ 
plation and healing the bodies and souls of men.” 

v Harriet Martineau’s Eastern Life, p. 399. 

At a very early period in the course of his initia¬ 
tion, a candidate for the mysteries of Freemasonry 
is informed, that the great tenets of the Order are, 
Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth. These 
virtues are illustrated, and their practice recom¬ 
mended to the aspirant, at every step of his pro¬ 
gress ; and the instruction, though continually va¬ 
ried in its mode, is so constantly repeated, as infal¬ 
libly to impress upon his mind, their absolute neces¬ 
sity in the constitution of a good Mason. 

Brotherly Love, might very well be supposed 
to be an ingredient in the organization of a society, 
so peculiarly constituted as that of Freemasonry. 
But the brotherly love which we inculcate is not a 
mere abstraction, nor is its character left to any ge¬ 
neral and careless understanding of the candidate, 




THE MYSTIC TIE. 


113 


who might be disposed to give much or little of it 
to his brethren, according to the peculiar constitution 
of his own mind, or the extent of his own generous, 
or selfish feelings. It is, on the contrary, closely 
; defined—-its object plainly denoted—and the very 
mode and manner of its practice, detailed in words, 
and illustrated by symbols, so as to give neither 
; cause for error, nor apology for indifference. 

Every Mason is acquainted with the Five Points 
of Fellowship—he knows their symbolic meaning— 
he can never forget the interesting incidents that ac¬ 
companied their explanation ; and while he has this 
knowledge, and retains this remembrance, he can 
be at no loss to understand what are his duties, and 
what must be his conduct, in relation to the princi¬ 
ple of Brotherly Love. 

As these Five Points of Fellowship compose the 
very sum and substance of all that Masonry requires 
from her children, in their thoughts, feelings, and 
actions to each other, a brief recapitulation of these 
duties, will be one of the best defences of the prin¬ 
ciples of the institution that could be offered, in re¬ 
ply to those, who contend, that the obligations of a 
Mason conflict with “ his duties as a man, a Chris¬ 
tian, and a citizen.”* 

These five-fold duties of Brotherly Love are then 
thus detailed. 

1. Cheerfully and liberally to stretch forth the 
hand of kindness to save a falling brother, and to 
relieve him in the hour of his necessity. 

2. To persevere, in despite of weariness, or sloth, 
in the active exercise of this kindness; to hasten 
with alacrity to the performance of our “ reasona¬ 
ble service” of charity and love; and to turn not 


* John Quincy Adams, Letters on the Masonic Institution, p. 53. 

10 * 




114 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


aside in our journey of affection, until we shall have 
accomplished all that a brother’s wants may require, j 

3. When, trusting not to our own unaided efforts, 
we seek from God forgiveness for the past, strength 
for the present, and a promise for the future, to re¬ 
member that our brother also needs the like forgive¬ 
ness, strength, and promise, and join in our devo¬ 
tions, his name with our own. 

4. With unflinching fidelity to retain, within our 
own bosoms, the secret and confidential communi¬ 
cations of trusting friendship, and thus to guard the 
honor of a brother with scrupulous care. 

5. To support and sustain the character of a bro¬ 
ther when unjustly reviled, as we would wish him 
to do to us ; in his presence, kindly counselling him 
of his faults—in his absence, warmly defending his 
reputation. 

Such is the practical application of this tenet of 
Brotherly Love, among the members of the society; 
not given, of course, in these words, but far more 
impressively, with the aid of symbols, and time, 
and place, and circumstance, to engrave it deeply 
and solemnly on the mind. But its teachings are- 
extended still further, and not circumscribed in their 
influence to the fraternity. We are told in our lec¬ 
tures, that we are “to regard the whole human 
species as one family ; the high and low, the rich 
ana poor, who, as children of the same Parent, and 
inhabitants of the same planet, are to aid, support, 
and protect each other.” The result of such a prin¬ 
ciple is, as the lectures continue to teach us, that 
“Masonry unites men of every country, sect, and 
mumon; and conciliates true friendship among 
those, who might otherwise have remained at a per¬ 
petual distance. 

Relief constitutes the next tenet of our profes- 



THE MYSTIC TIE. 


115 


sion. On this subject I need not dilate, as an arti¬ 
cle, in a preceding part of the volume, on the “ Cha¬ 
rities of Freemasonry,” will sufficiently indicate the 
extent to which we practically carry the doctrine 
of relieving the distressed. Relief is, indeed, 
the necessary consequence of the former tenet; 
for the love of our brother will naturally lead 
us “ to alleviate his misfortunes, to compassionate 
his misery, and to restore peace to his troubled 
mind.” These acts are but the links of that “ in¬ 
dissoluble chain of sincere affection,” with which 
our Order professes to bind its members. 

Truth is the last but the most sublime of the ma¬ 
sonic tenets. Truth was personified by the ancients 
as a deity, and said to be the mother of Virtue, 
while Democritus feigned that she lived at the bot¬ 
tom of a well, to intimate the difficulty with which 
she was to be found. Truth is still more profoundly 
symbolised in the science of Freemasonry. “ Lux 
e tenebris,” light out of darkness, or truth separated 
from error, is the motto of the Order, because it ex¬ 
presses the object of Freemasonry, and what the 
zealous Mason is seeking to attain. Lux or light 
was anciently adopted as one of the names of Free¬ 
masonry, because the doctrine of light or truth was 
regarded as the great object of the institution. 
Among the ancients the cube was considered as a 
symbol of truth, and the cube still continues to be 
the emblem of a masonic Lodge. This search 
after truth, which under the name of lux or logos, 
—the light or the word, comprehends in its most im¬ 
portant allusion, the knowledge of the true God, 
constitutes the great labor of the Freemason. He de¬ 
mands it in the bright noon-day of his re freshmen 4 , 
but his probation does not yet entitle him to its pos¬ 
session—he seeks it in the grave of departed worth, 


116 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


but he is not yet prepared to receive it, and still dis* 
satisfied with all substitutes for its value, he at 
length descends into the bowels of the earth in his 
search after this so much desired truth. He is 
taught that “ all other things are mortal and tran¬ 
sient, but truth alone is unchangeable and everlast¬ 
ing ; the benefits received from it are subject to no 
variations or vicissitudes of time and fortune.”* 
Such are the tenets of a Mason’s profession. Can 
an institution based on these exalted virtues be deem¬ 
ed worthless or puerile ? They are the teachings of 
a noble doctrine, which if carried out in their fullest 
extent, would result in the most beneficial conse¬ 
quences to man ; “ the social institutions and civili¬ 
ties of life would become more engaging—human 
frailty would have fewer opportunities of displaying 
itself—temptation would be circumscribed within 
narrow limits, and the world would be governed by 
Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth, under the guidance 
of Virtue, Honor and Mercy,”f Such a consum¬ 
mation is most devoutly to be wished ; that it has 
not been achieved is no fault of Freemaronry. 


THE FREEMASONS AS ARCHITECTS. 


“We work in speculative Masonry, but our ancient brethren worked 
in both operative and speculative .—Ritual of the Fellow Craft. 

“ I do not wish to pry into the mysteries of the Craft, but it would 
be interesting to know more of their history during the period in which 
they were literally architects.— Hallam's Middle Ages. 

It might be supposed from the operative character 
of our institution at its origin, that there would be 
some important relations between it and the science 

* Ritual of Red Cross Knights. + Oilver’s Landmarks, vol. i. p. 164. 





THE MYSTIC TIE. 


117 


as well as the practice of architecture. I do not, 
however, propose in this place, and at this time, to 
allude to the operative labors of the founders of 
Freemasonry in the erection of that vast fabric at 
Jerusalem, which David desired to begin, and 
which divine wisdom permitted his son Solomon to 
erect to the worship of the Lord. I rather desire to 
invite the readers’s attention to the architectural 
labors of the craft at a later period of history, and 
to claim some credit to the Order for the efforts 
made by our ancestors, in the middle ages of the 
world, in ornamenting the cities of Europe with re¬ 
ligious edifices, many of which still remain as the 
enduring monuments of their skill and taste. 

From the 10th to the 16th century, the continent 
of Europe was traversed from the southern extremity 
of Italy to the Abbey of Kilwinning in Scotland, by a 
society of travelling architects, who were called 
by the writers of those and subsequent times, “Free¬ 
masons.” The origin of this society, and its con¬ 
nexion with the body now known under the same 
name, 1 do not here propose to trace.* It is sufficient to 
say, that their connexion with and descent from the 
Masons of Solomon’s Temple, through the “ Colle¬ 
gia artificum” or colleges of artificers, has been 
firmly established by a continuous chain of testimo¬ 
ny, and that there is still less reason to doubt that 
they are the progenitors of the speculative Freema¬ 
sons of the present day. 

These bodies of travelling artisans were almost 
exclusively engaged in the construction of religious 
edifices, and all the great cathedrals of that age 
were the work of their hands. They were encour- 


* The whole subject has been fully treated by the author in his Lex¬ 
icon of Freemasonry, at the article “ Travelling Freemasons 




118 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


aged by the Popes who granted them charters of 
monopoly as ecclesiastical architects, and conferred 
on them many privileges of an extensive character. 
They were declared to be independent of the sove¬ 
reigns in whose dominions they might be sojourning, 
and were permitted to govern themselves by laws of 
their own creation ; they regulated their own wages 
and were entirely exempt from all taxation ; and it 
is worthy of notice, that in one of the papal bulls 
published in their favor, it is stated that these regu¬ 
lations have been made “ after the example of Hi¬ 
ram, King of Tyre, when he sent artisans to King 
Solomon for the purpose of building the Temple of 
Jerusalem.” 

Dr. Henry, the historian, speaking of them, says 
that “ the Popes, for very obvious reasons, favored 
the erection of churches and convents, and granted 
many indulgencies, by their bulls, to the society of 
Masons, in order to increase their numbers. These 
indulgencies produced their full effect, in those su¬ 
perstitious times; and that society became very nu¬ 
merous, and raised a prodigious multitude of mag¬ 
nificent churches, about this time, in several coun¬ 
tries.”* 

Wren describes these associations in the follow¬ 
ing language: 

“For, (as we are told by one who was well ac¬ 
quainted with their history and constitutions,) the 
Italians, with some Greek refugees, and with them 
French, Germans, and Flemings, joined into a fra¬ 
ternity of Architects, procuring papal bulls for their 
encouragement, and their particular privileges; 
they styled themselves Freemasons, and ranged 
from one naticm to another, as they found churches 


* History of Great Britain, vol. viii. p. 275. 





THE MYSTIC TIE. 


119 


to be built—for very many, in those days, were 
every day building, through piety or emulation :— 
their government was regular; and where they 
fixed, near the building in hand, they made a camp 
of huts. A surveyor governed in chief; every tenth 
man was called a warden, and overlooked each nine. 
The gentlemen in the neighborhood, either out of 
charity or commutation of penance, gave the mate¬ 
rials and carriage. Those who have seen the ac¬ 
counts in records, of the charge of the fabrics of 
some of our cathedrals near four hundred years old, 
cannot but have a great esteem for their economy, 
and admire how soon they erected such lofty struc¬ 
tures.”* 

The Messrs. Chalmers, speaking of the structures 
that were “executed by a class of skilled artisans, 
who wandered from country to country,” say: “We 
here allude to the Order or craft of Freemasons, the 
origin of whose associations may be dated from the 
ninth or tenth centuries, and who attained their 
greatest numerical strength and importance at the 
introduction of the gothic, or pointed style of archi¬ 
tecture.”! 

Sydney Smith, Esq., in a paper on the origin of 
the pointed arch, published in the Archseologia, 
says, “It is highly probable that the Freemasons, 
whose importance, as a corporate body, seems to 
have been established by a papal bull in the early 
part of the thirteenth century, counted many east¬ 
ern workmen among their number. Thus associa¬ 
ted, and exclusively devoted to the practice of ma¬ 
sonry, it is easy to infer that a rapid improvement, 
both in the style and execution of their work, would 
result. Forming a connected and corresponding so- 


Parentalia, p. 306. t Information for the People, vol. ii. p. 679. 





120 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


ciety, and roving over the different countries of Eu¬ 
rope, wherever the munificent piety of those ages 
promised employment to their skill, it is a probable, 
and even a necessary consequence, that improve¬ 
ments, by whomsoever introduced, would quickly 
become common to all; and to this cause w^e may 
refer the simultaneous progress of one style through¬ 
out Europe, which forms so singular, a phenomenon 
in the history of architecture.”* 

On this uniformity of style among these Freema- \ 
son architects, to which Mr. Smith here alludes, Mr. ! 
Hope, in his “ History of Architecture,” makes the 
following remarks. 

, “ The architects of all the sacred edifices of the . 
Latin church, wherever such arose—north, south, 
east, or west—thus derived their science from the 
same central school; obeyed, in their designs, the 
same hierarchy; were directed, in their construc¬ 
tion, by the same principles of propriety and taste: 
kept up with each other, in the most distant parts 
to which they might be sent, the most constant cor¬ 
respondence ; and rendered every minute improve¬ 
ment the property of the whole body, and a new 
conquest of the art. The result of this unanimhy 
was, that at each successive period of the monastic 
dynasty, on whatever point a new church, or new 
monastery might be erected, it resembled all those 
raised at the same period in every other place, how¬ 
ever distant from it, as if both had been built in the 
same place, by the same artist. For instance, we 
find at particular epochs, churches as far distant 
from each other as the North of Scotland and the 


* Vol. xxi. p. 521. Knapp, in his Essay on the Secret Discipline of 
the primitive Christian Church, mentions several other authorities on 
this subject, to which I am not, at this time, able to refer. 





THE MYSTIC TIE. 


121 


South of Italy, to be minutely similar in all the es¬ 
sential characteristics.” 

Mr. Godwin,' in a communication made to the 
Society of Antiquaries of England, speaking of the 
miarks of the workmen found upon the stones in va¬ 
rious ancient buildings, which he had examined, 
supposes that “ these marks, if collected and com¬ 
pared, might assist in connecting the various 'bands 
of operatives, who, under the protection of the 
church—mystically united—spread themselves over 
Europe during the middle ages, and are known as 
Freemasons.” Subsequently, in the same paper, 
he says that the identity of these marks, in differ¬ 
ent countries, notwithstanding their great variety, 
“seems to show, that the men who employed them 
did so by system; and that the system, if not the 
same in England, Germany, and France, was close¬ 
ly analogous in one country to that of the others. 
Moreover,” he continues, “ many of the signs are 
evidently religiou§ and symbolical, and agree fully 
with our notions of the men known as Freema¬ 
sons.”* 

These masonic marks have been found by M. 
Didron, of Paris, at Strasburg, Spire, Worms, 
Rheims, Basle, and other places; and in a series of 
observations communicated by him to the Comite 
Historique des Arts et Monumens, he states, that he 
can discover in them reference to distinct schools, or 
Lodges of Masons. 

It would be impossible, even in an abridged form, 
to record all the architectural labors of (his associa¬ 
tion, during the period of its activity; to mention 
only a few, will be sufficient to show, that the sci¬ 
ence of ecclesiastical architecture has been deeply 

* Archseologia, vol. xxx. pp. 116, 117. 


11 





122 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


indebted to the Freemasons for the perfection of 
beauty, and skill which it has reached. 

In the 13th and 14th centuries, they erected the J 
cathedrals of Cologne and Meissen; in 1440, that i 
of Valenciennes; and that of Berne in 1421. Be¬ 
sides these, they constructed monasteries, abbeys, 
cathedrals, and other ecclesiastical edifices, in all j 
parts of the continent, as well as in England and 
Scotland. Westminster Abbey, and the ruins of 
that of Melrose, are magnificent examples in these 
last mentioned countries.* 

The Abbe Grandidier has collected, from an old 
register at Strasburg, very minute particulars of the 
labors of the association of Freemasons, who erect¬ 
ed the magnificent cathedral of that city. It was 
commenced in the year 1277, but not finished until 
1739. 

The Masons who were engaged in this chef 
d’oeuvre of Gothic architecture, were divided into 
the ranks of Masters, Craftsmen and Apprentices. 
The place in which they assembled was called a 
“hutte” or lodge. They made use of the imple¬ 
ments of their profession for purposes of symbolical 
instruction, principally employing for this purpose, 
the level, square and compass. They had modes 
of secret recognition, and a system of mystical ini¬ 
tiation, and presented in all their other customs the 
evidences of their being the progenitors of the frater¬ 
nity as it now exists. 


* Dugdale, (in his Monasticon, vol. iii. p. 162,) gives the contract 
between the commissioners of the Duke of York and “William Har¬ 
wood, Fi’eemason,” for the rebuilding of the chapel in the College of 
Fotheringhay, Northamptonshire ; and Ashmole’s History of the Order 
of the Garter, (p. 126,) contains the agreement with “ Hylmer and 
Vertue, Freemasons,” for the building of the choir of St. George’s 
Chapel, Windsor. See Knapp’s Secret Discipline, in the supplement, 
on the “ Secret of the Royal Arch.” 




THE MYSTIC TIE. 


123 


The European correspondent of the Boston Atlas, 
makes the following remarks in relation to these 
workmen, at Cologne, another of the labors of these 
travelling Freemasons. 

“ There stood the huge mass, a proud monument 
to Gerhard, Master of the Cologne Lodge of Free¬ 
masons, and resisting, as it does, the attacks of na¬ 
ture and the labor of man, a symbol of that mystic 
brotherhood, which, to use the words of Lafayette, 
< owes a double lustre to those who have cherished 
and to those who have persecuted it.’.... During 
the interval between 1248 and 1323, there were not 
only fifty Masters and three times as many Fellow 
Crafts daily employed, but a large number ofEntered 
Apprentices from all parts of Christendom, who had 
come to study both the operative and speculative 
branches of the art, and carried home, with the prin¬ 
ciples which directed the erection of almost every 
Gothic monument of the age, others which prepared 
the way for the light of the Reformation.” 

In 1323, the Church withdrawing its patronage 
from the Freemasons, the labors of the craft were 
suspended, and the cathedral remained in an unfin¬ 
ished state until 1842, when by direction of the King 
of Prussia, an association was formed, which took 
charge of its completion, and the original plans 
which had been taken from the Lodge by the French 
in 1794, having been recovered, have been strictly 
adhered to by the architect, who has also adopted 
the ancient divisions of the workmen. 

References to the works of these travelling Free¬ 
masons, who were occupied in building the magni¬ 
ficent religious houses of Europe, will be found in 
the pages "of many antiquarian writers, in addition 
to those which I have already cited, all of whom un¬ 
hesitatingly give’them the praise of being in posses- 




124 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


sion of an admirable system in the distribution of I 
their labors, and in the government of their workmen ! 
—a system precisely similar to that which our tra¬ 
ditions inform us, existed at the construction ofSolo- 
rnon’s Temple—and no one who reads the proofs on 
this subject can for a moment doubt, that as classical 
learning was preserved and perpetuated by the 
Monks of the middle ages, so was the science of ar¬ 
chitecture by the travelling Freemasons of the same 
period. To them is the world indebted for the inven¬ 
tion of that style in architecture, known as the pointed ! 
Gothic, in which beauty .and grandeur, simplicity and 
elegance are so skilfully blended, as to have extorted 
the admiration of all who have beheld the splendid 
edifices erected by those artists. In the reign of 
Edward III. of England, and the contemporaneous 
sovereigns of the continent, this style had reached 
its utmost point of perfection, and though, after the 
fourteenth century it rapidly declined, it has again 
been revived by the taste and genius of the present 
age. Let it be remembered by its admirers, when 
viewing the varied and graceful tracery of which 
it is composed, that its invention and its most beau¬ 
tiful examples are to be attributed to the fraternity 
of Freemasons. 

FREEMASONRY AND EDUCATION. 

“ Do we hear of Freemasonry applying any portion of its funds in aid 
of supporting schools, or of advancing the interests of the arts and sci¬ 
ences? No, its funds are almost entirely appropriated to its own use¬ 
less vanities-”— Freemasonry, an antimasonic Poem, notes, p. 43. 

The adoption of efficient means for the education 
of the destitute orphan children of Masons, consti¬ 
tutes one of the claims of our Order to the esteem of 
the wise and good. Among the charities of Free- 





THE MYSTIC TIE. 


125 


masonry, there is certainly none more important or 
more worthy of approbation than that which directs 
itself to the diffusion of learning. To feed the hun¬ 
gry, and to clothe the naked, are among the great 
objects of the masonic institution ; but there is a spe¬ 
cies of benevolence much higher than these, inas¬ 
much, as the mind is superior to the body, and 
which occupies itself in providing for the intellectual 
culture of the poor ; which seeks to fulfil the prover¬ 
bial direction of our great founder, and to “bring 
up a child in the way he should goand which by 
removing ignorance, gives the best assurance for the 
abolition of crime, its natural offspring. It will be 
impossible to furnish, within any reasonable limits, 
an account of all the efforts made by the Lodges in 
various parts of the world, to promote the cause of 
education ; it will however, perhaps, be deemed suf¬ 
ficient, if a few of these benevolent labors are here 
recorded. Ex pede Herculem —the reader may 
judge of the whole statue from a part. 

One of the earliest instances, in modern times, of 
the efforts of the craft, to diffuse the blessings of 
education among the poor, was in the establishment 
at London, on the 25th of March 1783, of the “Royal 
Cumberland Freemasons’ School, for maintaining, 
clothing and educating the children of indigent 
brethren.” The object of this charity, as described 
by Preston, is to train up children in the knowledge 
of virtue and religion; in an early detestation of vice, 
and its unhappy consequences; in industry, as ne¬ 
cessary to their condition ; and to impress strongly 
on their minds, a due sense of subordination, true 
humility and obedience to their superiors. To this 
charity, not only the Grand Lodge of England, but 
the subordinate Lodges throughout the kingdom are 
in the custom of liberally contributing. 

11 * 


126 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


The Royal Freemasons’ School for female children 
is another noble offspring of English masonic benevo¬ 
lence. The school-house was erected in 1763 at an 
expense of more than <£3000, and has been ever 
since munificently patronised by the craft. Sixty- 
five children of reduced Masons are here received 
and educated, clothed and wholly supported, from 
the age of eight to that of fifteen years. 

On the continent of Europe, attention was also 
early paid by the Freemasons to the important sub¬ 
ject of education. “In Germany, Denmark and 
Sweden,” says Lawrie, “charity schools were erect¬ 
ed by the Lodges, for educating the children of Free¬ 
masons, whose poverty debarred them from this ad¬ 
vantage. In that which was formed at Brunswick, 
they were instructed even in classical learning, and 
various branches of the mathematics; and were regu¬ 
larly examined by the Duke of Brunswick, who re¬ 
warded the most deserving with suitable donations. 
At Eisenach, several seminaries of this kind were es¬ 
tablished. The teachers were endowed with fixed 
salaries ; and in a short time after their institution, 
they had sent into the world seven hundred children 
instructed in the principles of science, and the doc^ 
trines of Christianity. In 1771, an establishment of 
a similar kind, was formed at Cassel, in which the 
children were maintained and educated, till they 
could provide for themselves. 1773, the united 
Lodges of Dresden, Leipsic, and Gorlitz, erected at 
Frederickstadt, a seminary of learning for children 
of every denomination, in the Electorate of Saxony. 
The masonic subscriptions were so numerous, that 
the funds of the institution were sufficient for its 
maintenance ; and in the space of five years, above 
eleven hundred children received a liberal education. 
In the same year, an extensive workhouse was erect- 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


127 


ed at Prague, in which the children were not only 
initiated into the first fruits of learning, but into 
those branches of the useful and fine arts, which 
might qualify them for commercial and agricultural 
situations.”* 

The members of the Lodge held at Chemnitz in 
Germany, many years ago, amassed a fund by col¬ 
lections taken up at meetings held for the purpose of 
masonic instruction. This fund has been constantly 
appropriated to the clothing and education of fifteen 
poor children, some of whom are Protestants and 
some Catholics. 

There was at Dippoldeswalde in Germany, in 
1S45, no regularly constituted Lodge, but as many 
of the inhabitants were Freemasons, these brethren 
formed a reading club, the subscription to which, 
after deducting the necessary expenses, was direct¬ 
ed to be appropriated to the purchase of bibles, to be 
given as prizes to the most meritorious children of 
the schools in the town. 

The Institute for the Blind, established in Am¬ 
sterdam by the Masons of Holland, in 1808, is de¬ 
serving of notice. Pupils are admitted to this es¬ 
tablishment gratuitously, if they are poor, or on the 
payment of a fee, if they are able. Instructions 
are given in reading, grammar, arithmetic, and the 
other elementary sciences. Vocal and instrumen¬ 
tal music, and various mechanical arts, appropriate 
to the blind, are taught, such as basket and chair 
making, knitting, and occupations of a similar kind. 
Many of the Lodges of Holland are in possession 
of extensive and valuable libraries, appropriated to 
the use of their members. 


History of Freemasonry, p. 137. 



128 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


In the United States, the subject of education has, 
for some years past, been receiving the earnest at¬ 
tention of the fraternity. Some of the results of that 
attention, and the desire to disseminate the light of 
knowledge, may be summed up in a few paragraphs. 

Fifteen years ago, the Grand Lodge of Virginia 
recommended this subject to the consideration of the 
fraternity in that State ; and lately, a plan has been 
adopted, by which the subordinate Lodges draw 
lots for the support of a beneficiary selected by 
them, for two years, until each Lodge has, in this 
way, been assisted by Grand Charity fund. 

The Grand Lodge of Missouri has the honor of 
being the first masonic body in the world, that has 
established and endowed a college. In October, 
1841, the Grand Lodge adopted a resolution, decla¬ 
ring it “ expedient and necessary, and the impera¬ 
tive duty, as well as the interest of the Grand Lodge, 
to establish, at some healthy and convenient point, 
an institution of learning for the sons of indigent 
Masons, and such others, as the Grand Lodge may 
from time to time admit.” In 1842, a purchase was 
made of the property of a college, which had been 
formerly established at Marion, in that State, con¬ 
sisting of the necessary buildings, and thirteen acres 
of land. The college has been since removed to 
the town of Lexington, and a president and profes¬ 
sors having been appointed, the institution has been 
put into successful operation. The course of stu¬ 
dies embraces the whole circle of literature and the 
sciences ; the teachers are all required to be Master 
Masons; and every thing like sectarianism, in its 
government, is strictly prohibited. 

There is also a Masonic College in Kentucky. 
William M. Funk, a citizen of that State, having 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


129 


bequeathed the sum of ten thousand dollars to the 
town of La Grange, for the purpose of erecting a 
seminary of learning, on condition that the citizens 
of the town would subscribe the further sum of five 
hundred dollars, the bequest was accepted, and 
a college edifice erected, with accommodations for 
three hundred students. In 1843, the trustees of 
the seminary made a tender of the fund and edi¬ 
fice to the Grand Lodge of Kentucky. The offer 
was accepted, and the transfer being made, the 
Grand Lodge immediately appropriated ten thou¬ 
sand dollars as an endowment fund, and also adopt¬ 
ed a resolution, which required all good Masons to 
contribute one dollar, to be set apart for the support 
of the beneficiaries who might be sent to the school. 
The institution is conducted upon the same princi¬ 
ples of literary and scientific instruction, that govern 
other colleges in the United States, and is now in a 
very flourishing condition. In both this college and 
that of Missouri, the orphans of Masons are gratu¬ 
itously educated, each Lodge being allowed a cer¬ 
tain number of scholarships, in proportion to the 
amount it has subscribed towards the endowment 
of the college. The Grand Lodge of Kentucky 
adopted, in 1845, the following excellent resolution* 
in relation to the subject of education : 

“Resolved, That the Grand Lodge request each 
and every subordinate Lodge under its jurisdiction, 
to appoint a committee, whose duty it shall be to 
find out all the orphan children of deceased Ma¬ 
sons, within the limits of its jurisdiction, and those 
that are in indigent circumstances, and send said 
children to the school in the neighborhood where 
they live, and pay for the same out of the funds of 
the Lodge, and by subscriptions from members and 
transient brethren; and if there cannot be means 


130 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


enough raised by such sources, then this Grand 
Lodge may appropriate such sums, as it may deem 
proper for such purposes, by petition being made 
for the same.” 

The Lodge and Chapter at Richland, in Missis¬ 
sippi, have established a prosperous seminary of 
learning, under the name of Eureka Masonic Col¬ 
lege, to which the fostering aid of the Grand Lodge 
has been promised, as soon as it can be given with¬ 
out conflicting with other claims upon its bounty. 
This Grand Lodge appropriated, in 1848, two hun¬ 
dred and fifty dollars, towards defraying the ex¬ 
pense of educating four blind children of Masons,— 
and has ordered that twenty-five per centum of its 
aggregate gross funds, shall be hereafter set apart 
for educational purposes. 

In October, 1847, the Grand Lodge of Tennessee 
adopted resolutions for the purpose of collecting an 
education fund and declared that one dollar for every 
degree conferred-in the State, and a like sum to be 
contributed by every Mason, who was not a member 
of a Lodge, should be set apart for that object. It 
has also appropriated twelve hundred dollars to be 
invested in stocks as a school fund. 

The Grand Lodge of Indiana has resolved to levy 
a tax of one dollar per annum for four years, upon 
every Mason in the State, to be appropriated to the 
establishment of a permanent fund for the purposes 
of education. It has also directed its attention to 
the formation of a manual labor school, and a female 
orphan asylum. 

The Grand Lodge of North Carolina has ap¬ 
pointed a standing committee, with the view of ma¬ 
king every necessary preliminary arrangement for 
the ultimate establishment of a seminary of learning. 

The Grand Lodge of Ohio has appointed a com- 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


131 


mittee of enquiry on this important subject, and 
shown a willing disposition to act; the committee 
having proposed a feasible plan for securing to 
“every child of a Mason, upon the broad domains 
of Ohio, a good common school education.” 

The Grand Lodges of Illinois, Florida, Iowa, and 
some other States, have taken up the consideration 
of the question of education, with a spirit that shows 
their desire, when circumstances will permit, to 
make this most important charity, the instruction of 
the poor, one of the essential ingredients of the ma¬ 
sonic system of relief. 

After reading this brief abstract of some of the ef¬ 
forts of the masonic fraternity for the advancement 
of education, are we not prepared triumphantly to 
answer the question, so sneeringly propounded by 
our adversaries, and which in an excusable spirit of 
irony, I have adopted as the motto of the present 
article. 

“ Do we hear of Freemasonry apptying any por¬ 
tion of its funds in aid of supporting schools, or of 
advancing the interests of the arts and sciences ?” 


THE SECRECY OF FREEMASONRY. 

“ To have revealed 

Secrets of men, the secrets of a friend. 

How heinous had the fact been, how deserving 
Contempt and scorn of all, to be excluded 
All friendship and avoided as a blab, 

The mark of fool set on his front!” 

Milton, Samson Agonistes- 

Of all the objections urged against our institution, 
there is none more frequent than that of its secrecy. 
“ Ye love darkness because your deeds are evil,” 
is the constant charge of our opponents. Yet how 



132 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


slender is the basis on which this accusation rests. 
Were we to assign no reason, or offer no defence for 
the secret character of our institution, we would 
scarcely be asking too much of the uninitiated, when 
we claimed their forbearance for, or even their fa¬ 
vorable opinion of, those mysteries, the knowledge 
of which had been entrusted to a Washington, the 
father of his country—to a Lafayette, the early 
friend of that venerated chief—to a Warren, who, 
on the heights of Bunker, poured out his blood, as 
though it had been water, for his country’s good— 
to a Franklin, who earned by a life of philanthropic 
labor, the enviable title of “ the friend of man”—to a 
Clinton, whose ruling principle of conduct was patri¬ 
otism—and to that innumerable phalanx of wise, and 
good, and reverend men, whose names have been 
enrolled among the disciples of Masonry. The so¬ 
ciety that such men cherished and supported 
through life, could have had no evil ingredient in its 
constitution ; the secrets, that they faithfully pre¬ 
served, must have had truth for their foundation, 
and virtue for their copestone. 

But standing as we do on this vantage ground, we 
are yet not unwilling to waive its merits and enter 
fairly into our defence. Why then, to begin, should 
Masonry be denied that safeguard which is not 
refused to any other association df men ? Are there 
not secrets between the physician and his patient— 
between the lawyer and his client—between the 
merchant and his correspondent? Have not all so¬ 
cieties their confidential meetings for the transaction 
of private business, where none but the members 
dare intrude? What are the secret sessions of the 
Senate—the secret instructions given to commanders 
of vessels—the secret consultations ofjurymen ? The 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


133 


possession of secrets is not then, peculiar to Freema¬ 
sonry. “ Every trade, every art, and every occu¬ 
pation” says Harris, “ are not to be communicated, 
but to such as have become proficients in the sci¬ 
ence connected with them, nor then, but with pro¬ 
per caution and restriction; and oftentimes under 
the guard of heavy penalties. Charters of incorpo¬ 
ration are granted by civil governments for their 
encouragement. Nay, every government, every 
statesman, and every individual, has secrets which 
are concealed with prudent care, and confided only 
in the trusty and true. # ” 

It may also be suggested, that secrecy and silence 
were always considered as virtues worthy .of culti¬ 
vation by both the pagan and inspired writers of 
antiquity. Pythagoras assigned a silence of from 
two to five years to his pupils, as a test of their ca¬ 
pacity to receive instruction. Quintus Curtius tells 
us, that among the Persians, a man who could not 
control his tongue, was supposed incapable of per¬ 
forming any great deed, and that they preserved se¬ 
crets with such wonderful fidelity, that neither the 
allurements of hope, nor the compulsion of fear could 
induce them to betray them. Among the three things 
which Cato was accustomed to say, that he always 
repented of, when committed, the divulging of a secret 
was one. Horace devotes a part of one of his most 
admired odes to a vindication of the obligation of 
secrecy, and says that he would not permit a man 
who had betrayed the Eleusinian mysteries,! (the 
Freemasonry of those times,) to remain with him 


* Discourses, p. 172. 

t Among the public laws of the Athenians, _ we find one prescribing 
death as the penalty for divulging the mysteries. Secrecy was among 
them a political virtue, and its violation was recognized as a crime to 
be punished by the State. 

12 





134 


the mystic tie. 


under the same roof, or to sail with him in the same 
frail vessel: 

“ Est et fideli tuta silentio 
Merces. Vetabo, qui Cereris sacrum 
Vulgarit arcanse, sub iisdem, 

Sit trabibus, fragilemque mecum 
Solvat phaselus.”* 


In short, the ancients who deified every virtue,, 
made a god of Silence and Secrecy, whom they 
called Harpocrates, the son of Isis, and represented 
him in his statues as holding one of his fingers to his 
mouth, to intimate that the mysteries of religion and 
philosophy were not to be revealed to the uninitiated. 

Among the inspired writers, we find Solomon eu¬ 
logizing the keeper of secrets, and condemning their 
betrayer. “ Whoso keepeth his mouth and his 
tongue,” says the wise King of Israel, “keepeth his 
soul from troubles.”! And in another passage; “ Dis¬ 
cover not a secret to another, lest he that heareth it 
put thee to shame, and thine infamy turn not | 
away.”f 

On this subject, the Son of Sirach thus wisely 
and beautifully teaches : 

“ Whoso discovereth secrets, loseth his credit, 
and shall never find a friend to his mind. Love 
thy friend, and be faithful unto him; but if thou 
betrayest his secrets, follow no more after him; for 
as a man hath destroyed his enemy, so hast thou lost 
the love of thy neighbor. As one that letteth a bird 
go out of his hand, so hast thou let thy neighbor go, 
and shalt not get him again. Follow after him no 
more, for he is too far off; he is as a roe escaped 
out of the snare. As for a wound it may be bound 


Lib. III. od. ii. 


t Prov. xxi. 23. 


t Prov. xxv. 9, 10. 





THE MYSTIC TIE. 


135 


up ; and after reviling there may be reconcilement; 
but he that betrayeth secrets is without hope.”* 

Coming then to our conclusions, upon the princi¬ 
ple of analogy with other institutions, 1 think it must 
be admitted, that if the secrets of Freemasonry are 
not criminal in their character and design, there can 
be nothing objectionable in the naked, abstract fact 
of their secrecy. Now that our secrets are at least 
harmless, may most undoubtedly be inferred from 
the many irreproachable men to whom they have 
j been intrusted. 

But we have another ground of defence. The 
secrets of Freemasonry are essential to the very ex¬ 
istence and utility of the institution. Without these 
secrets, which constitute the universal language of 
Masonry, the great objects of assistance, protection, 
and brotherly kindness to the unknown and destitute 
stranger, could not be effected, for want of a cer¬ 
tain mode of recognition. This great advantage of 
the society would therefore be lost. Its claims upon 
the affection and attachment of its members would 
be lessened, and its power of doing good impaired. 

“ The importance of secrecy with us,” says Hut¬ 
chinson, “ is such, that we may not be deceived in 
the dispensing of our charities ; that we may not'be 
betrayed in the tenderness of our benevolence, or 
that others may not usurp the portion which is pre¬ 
pared for those of our own family.” Besides, as 
something more than the influence of a general and 
undiscriminating affection is necessary, to excite 
men to deeds of active benevolence and loving 
kindness, this something necessary to serve as a tie, 
which shall give Freemasons a warmer interest in 
each other, is to be found in the secrets of the insti- 


Ecclesiasticus, xxvii. 16—21. 







136 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


tution, of which the members only are the common 
participators. Secrecy is, in short, the casket in 
which the jewels of Freemasonry are kept for bet¬ 
ter preservation. Who shall blame us, for having 
thus deposited them in a place of security, and 
locked them up in the “ safe depository of faithful 
breasts ?” 

But the truth, after all, is, that we have no secrets 
which we keep from the worthy and deserving, who 
choose to ask for them. “ The good and worthy,” 
says an author whom I have before cited,* “ may 
come amongst us. Our doings are displayed before j 
them, and it is too much to hear any complain of 
ignorance, or speak evil of a science, which they 
want the inclination, or the capacity, or the qualifi¬ 
cation to understand.” To him whose character is 
without blemish, and whose conduct is, as our anti¬ 
quated language expresses it, “ under the tongue of 
good report,” the portals of our Lodge are ever 
open. Let him ask, and he shall receive—let him 
seek, and he shall find—let him knock, and it shall 
be opened unto him. And when he has entered, he 
will find there, traditions which may enlarge his 
knowledge, doctrines which may improve his heart, 
and precepts which may strengthen his piety; and 
these preserved, impressed, and enforced by appro¬ 
priate ceremonies, which require, for their due ap¬ 
preciation, the necessa^ preparations of silence, 
secrecy, and solemnity. 


Rev. Mr. Dakeyne, Sermon at Lincoln, Eng. 





THE MYSTIC TIE. 


137 


UNWORTHY MEMBERS OF THE ORDER. 

“ De toutes les societies humaines, la plus propre k former le verita' 
ble homme de bien, sous tous les rapports possibles, est, sans contredit? 
la Ma<jonnerie. Mais quelque bien con<jues que soient ses lois, elles ne 
changent point entierement la nature de ceux qui doivent les observer; 
a la verite, elles les eclairent; elles les guident; mais comme elles ne 
peuvent les diriger qu’en reprimant la fougue de leur passions, souvent 
celles-ci prevalent, et l’institution est oubliee.” 

Gorgereau, Discours sur la Flatterie. 


That there are men in our Order, whose lives and 
characters reflect no credit on the institution—whose 
ears turn coldly from its beautiful lessons of moral¬ 
ity—whose hearts are untouched by its soothing in¬ 
fluences of brotherly kindness—whose hands are 
not opened to aid in its deeds of charity—i^ a fact 
which we cannot deny, although we may be permit¬ 
ted to express our grief, while we acknowledge its 
truth. But these men, though in the Temple, are 
not of the Temple—they are among us, but are not 
with us—they belong to our household, but they are 
not of our faith—they are of Israel, but they are not 
Israel. We have sought to teach them, but they 
would not be instructed ; seeing, they have not per¬ 
ceived, and hearing, they have not understood, the 
symbolic language in which our lessons of wisdom 
are communicated. The fault is not with us, that 
we have not given, but with them, that they have 
not received. And indeed, hard and unjust would 
it be to censure the masonic institution, because, par¬ 
taking of the infirmity and weakness of human 
wisdom, and human means, it has been unable to 
give strength and perfection to all who come within 
its pale. The denial of a Peter, the doubtings of a 
Thomas, or even the betrayal of a Judas, could 
cast no reproach on that holy band of Apostles, of 
which each formed a constituent part. 

12 * 


138 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


If religion, with all the divine support that has 
been promised and given to it, fails to secure the 
perseverance in holiness of all its votaries, who can 
expect that the disciples of masonic light will not 
sometimes continue to wander in darkness? The 
brother may, in each instance, by his evil conduct, 
disgrace a good profession, but Religion and Ma¬ 
sonry will both remain uncorrupted. The fountain 
is not the less pure, because the stream which flows 
from it has become sullied in its progress through a 
filthy soil; and the sacred teachings of truth are 
not the less divine, because they have been offered, 
without effect, to the soul contaminated by the fol¬ 
lies, and corroded by the selfish cares of the world. 

“Is Freemasonry answerable,” says a distin¬ 
guished writer,* “ for the misdeeds of an individual 
brother? By no means. He has had the advan¬ 
tage of masonic instruction, and has failed to profit 
by it. He has enjoyed masonic privileges, but has 
not possessed masonic virtue.” Such a man it is 
our duty to reform, or to dismiss—but the world 
should not condemn us, if we fail in our attempt at 
reformation. God alone can change the heart.— 
Masonry furnishes precepts and obligations of duty, 
which, if obeyed, must make its members wiser, 
better, happier men,—but it claims no power of re¬ 
generation. Condemn when our instruction is evil, 
but not when our pupils are dull and deaf to our 
lessons, for in so doing, you condemn the holy reli¬ 
gion which you profess. Masonry prescribes no 
principles that are opposed to the sacred teachings 
of the divine lawgiver, and sanctions no acts that 
are not consistent with the sternest morality, and 
the most faithful obedience to government and the 


Dr. Oliver, Landmarks, vol. i. p. 148. 





THE MYSTIC TIE. 


139 


laws ; and while this continues to be its character, 
it cannot, without the most atrocious injustice, be 
made responsible for the acts of its unworthy mem¬ 
bers. 

“Without intruding,” says De Witt Clinton, “in 
the remotest degree, a comparison or improper al¬ 
lusion, I might ask whether we ought to revile our 
holy religion, because Peter denied, and Judas be¬ 
trayed ?” 

Masons do not pretend to claim for their society, 
a purity which does not belong to any other human 
institution. They know and they regret, that al¬ 
though the light has been offered to all, many are 
still groping in darkness, and they perceive too often 
with unavailing sorrow, that the brightest jewels of 
the craft are dimmed, and their.lustre diminished by 
the vicious conduct of those, who unworthily wear 
them. But this is the lot of man, with whom there 
can be nothing perfect—nothing free in all its parts 
from error—nothing which does not bear upon its 
face some traces of the serpent’s trail. 

“ In apostolic days,” says a reverend brother,* 
“ all were not Israel who were of Israel; neither in 
these later times are all Christians who profess the 
gospel; nor is it a stigma on Masonry that the ill 
conduct of some of its adherents disgraces a good 
profession; the Order remains uncorrupted ; and 
every unworthy brother, whether high or low, com¬ 
mits a threefold offence; he disgraces himself, 
brings dishonor on the community to which he be¬ 
longs, and hinders its profitable progress in the 
world.” 

The true spirit of our defence on this topic, is con- 


Rev. Dr. Russel of Devonshire, England. 





140 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


tained in the passage which has been adopted as the 
motto of the present article, to be found in a dis¬ 
course delivered at Paris, more than sixty years 
ago. Of all human societies, Freemasonry is un¬ 
doubtedly under all circumstances, the fittest to form 
the truly good man. But however well conceived 
may be its laws, they cannot completely change the 
natural disposition of those who ought to observe 
them. In truth, they serve as lights and guides, but 
as they can only direct men, by restraining the im¬ 
petuosity of their passions, these last too often be¬ 
come dominant, and the institution is forgotten. 


THE EXCLUSIVENESS OF FREEMASONRY. 


“ I can feel for all indifferently, but I cannot feel for all alike. 

I can be a friend to a worthy man, who upon another account cannot 
be my mate or fellow. 1 cannot like all people alike. 

Charles Lamb, Essays of Elia. 


It has been urged as an objection to our institution 
that we are exclusive in our charities, conferring 
them on our own members, in preference to other de¬ 
serving objects. We cannot deny the fact, but we 
may dispute its value as an objection. Tried by 
this criterion of usefulness or virtue, what human in¬ 
stitution could escape censure? Religion itself, di¬ 
vine as is its origin, universal as is its application, 
does not refuse to make this distinction between 
those who are of its household and those who are 
not.” “ As we have opportunity, therefore,” writes 
St. Paul to the Galatians, “ let us do good to all men, 
especially unto them who are of the household.” 
And the doctrine thus explicitly taught by the Apos¬ 
tle, has ever been the guiding principle of every re¬ 
ligious community, of every benevolent association, 





THE MYSTIC TIE. 


141 


of every political society, that has existed before or 
since his day. It is a feeling born with us, engraft¬ 
ed by nature in our constitution, and that too for the 
very best and wisest of purposes, that we should 
give a greater share of love to those who are linked 
to us by any circumstance of relationship, natural 
or acquired, than to those whose only claim upon us is 
that of a general descent from the common stock of 
Adam. The same impulses of affection that make 
the mother cling to her offspring, that unite the patri¬ 
ot to his country, that bind the Christian to his faith, 
are exercised in giving more or less of an exclusive 
character to all artificial combinations of men. The 
French have given to it a name which it wants in 
our language, and call it an “ esprit du corps.” It 
is a feeling so natural to man, that no one ever 
dreams of controlling it, or, except where Freema¬ 
sonry is concerned, of condemning it. The stranger 
while sojourning on a foreign shore, feels his heart 
warm with an increased glow to all who speak his 
native tongue, and derive their birth from his father- 
land. In trouble and distress, the Christian hies with¬ 
out hesitation, for comfort or assistance to the believ¬ 
ers in his own peculiar faith. Who ever heard of a 
Presbyterian Synod providing for the education of 
the orphans, and the support of the widows of an 
Episcopalian Church, or the members of an Episcopa¬ 
lian Convention appropriating their charitable funds 
to be equally divided between the indigent of every 
denomination, without reference to the superior 
claims of their own poor ? Do not the rules of every 
benevolent society draw this broad distinction? 
Why then, should Masonry alone, human and im¬ 
perfect as it is, be expected to emulate that univer¬ 
sal and undistinguishing benevolence which is to be 


142 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


seen only in the all perfect charity of Him who “ ma- 
keth his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and 
sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust ?” 

The practice then of Freemasonry, like that of 
every other society, is precisely in accordance with 
the doctrine of the Apostle already quoted. It strives 
to do good to all, to relieve the necessitous and de¬ 
serving, whether they be of Jerusalem or Samaria, 
to clothe the naked, to feed the hungry, and to com¬ 
fort the distressed, always, however, giving a pre¬ 
ference to those of its own household—those who in 
the day of their prosperity, supported and upheld 
the institution, on which they, in the time of their 
adversity have called for aid—those who have con¬ 
tributed out of their abundance to its funds, that its 
funds might be prepared to relieve them in their 
want—those who have borne their share of the bur¬ 
den in the heat of the day, that when their sun is 
setting, they may be entitled to their reward. And 
in so acting, Masonry has the warrant of universal 
custom, of the law of nature, and the teachings of 
Scripture. 

THE QUESTION OF MASONIC OATHS. 

In the year 1738, Clement XII., at that time Pope 
of Rome, issued a bull of excommunication against 
the Freemasons, and assigned, as the reason of his 
condemnation, that the institution confederated per¬ 
sons of all religions and sects, in a mysterious bond 
of union, and compelled them to secrecy by an oath 
taken on the Bible, accompanied by certain cere¬ 
monies, and the imprecation of heavy punishments. 
In a subsequent edict, his Holiness, exercising his 
dispensing power, declared that “ oaths of secrecy 



THE MYSTIC TIE. 


143 


in matters already condemned, are thereby rendered 
void, and lose their obligation.” 

This persecution of the Freemasons, on account 
of their having an obligatory promise of secrecy 
among their ceremonies, has not been confined to 
the Papal See. We shall find it existing in a sect, 
which we should suppose, of all others, the least 
likely to follow in the footsteps of a Roman pontiff. 
In 1757, the Associate Synod of Seceders of Scot¬ 
land adopted an act, concerning what they called 
“ the Mason oath,” in which it is declared, that all 
persons who shall refuse to make such revelations 
as the Kirk Sessions may require, and to promise 
to abstain from all future connexion with the Order, 
“ shall be reputed under scandal and incapable of 
admission to sealing ordinances,” or, as Pope Cle¬ 
ment expressed it, be “ipso facto excommunicated.” 

In the preamble to the act, the Synod assign the 
reasons for their objections to this oath, and for their 
ecclesiastical censure of all who contract it. These 
reasons are: “That there were very strong pre¬ 
sumptions, that, among Masons, an oath of secrecy 
is administered to entrants into their society, even 
under a capital penalty, and before any of those 
things, which they swear to keep secret, be revealed 
to them; and that they pretend to take some of 
these secrets from the Bible; beside other things, 
which are ground of scruple, in the manner of 
swearing the said oath.” # 

These have, from that day to this, constituted the 
sum and substance of the objections of anti-masons 
to the obligation of masonic secrecy, and for the 

* This “ Act” of the Associate Synod, was ably answered by a writer 
in the Scots Magazine for October 1757. I shall have occasion to quote 
some of his arguments in the course of this examination. 



144 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


purpose of brief examination, they may be classed 
under the following heads : 

1st. It is an oath. 

2ndly. It is administered before the secrets are 
communicated. 

3rdly. It is accompanied by certain superstitious 
ceremonies. 

4thly. It is attended by a penalty. 

5thly. It is considered, by Masons, as paramount 
to the obligations of the laws of the land. 

In replying to these statements, it is evident that 
the conscientious Freemason labors under great dis¬ 
advantage. He is at every step restrained by his 
honor from either the denial or admission of his ad¬ 
versaries in relation to the mysteries of the craft. 
“ He cannot therefore, exhibit those mysteries to 
view, or subject them to examination. He must 
then, like the lion in the fable, suppose the picture 
such as it is represented by his antagonists.”* But 
we will grant for the sake of argument, that every 
one of the first four charges is true, and then enquire 
in what respect they are offensive or immoral. 

1st. The oath or promise cannot, in itself, be sin¬ 
ful, unless there is something immoral in the obliga¬ 
tion it imposes. Simply to promise secrecy, or the 
performance of any good action, and to strengthen 
this promise by the solemnity of an oath, is not, in 
itself, forbidden by any divine or human law. In¬ 
deed, the infirmity of human nature demands, in 
many instances, the sacred sanction of such an at¬ 
testation,—and it is continually exacted in the trans¬ 
actions of man with man, without any notion of 
sinfulness. Where the time, and place, and cir- 


Writerinthe Scots Magazine. 





THE MYSTIC TIE. 


145 


cumstances, are unconnected with levity, or profa¬ 
nity, or crime, the administration of an obligation 
binding to secrecy, or obedience, or veracity, or the 
performance of any other virtue, and the invocation 
of Deity to witness, and to strengthen that obliga¬ 
tion, or to punish its violation, is incapable, by any 
perversion of scripture, of being considered a cri¬ 
minal act. The command of our Savior to “ swear 
not at all,” has been interpreted, by but a small 
part of Christendom, as forbidding the administra¬ 
tion of even judicial oaths. The theologians and 
commentators, with few exceptions, have given it a 
different meaning.* 

Whitby says, “ Christ, by this prohibition, must 
not be supposed to forbid all swearing as a thing ab¬ 
solutely evil, for in those writings which were indi¬ 
ted by the Holy Ghost, St. Paul doth often seal the 
truth of what he delivered by an oathand he 
adds, “these words must not be so interpreted as to 
forbid all promissory oaths, in which we do engage, 
by calling God to witness we will be faithful to our 
promises, or will do this or that hereafter.”f 

Dr. Gill concurs in this opinion, and contends, that 
the prohibitory words of Christ “ must not be un¬ 
derstood in the strictest sense, as though it was not 
lawful to take an oath upon any occasion, in an af¬ 
fair of moment, in a solemn, serious manner, and 
in the name of God, which may be safely done 


, * The ancients made a classification of two kinds of oaths, which the 

Greeks distinguished as 6 °P X0 ?> the oath used only on solemn 

and important occasions, and * f«xpo£ op*°S. that used in trifling mat¬ 
ters, or even merely as an expletive to fill up a sentence. It is to the 
latter, and not to the former of these modes of swearing, that Christ 
refers in his prohibition. 

t Commentary on the Old and New Testament. 

13 






146 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


but of rash swearing about trivial matters, and by 
the creatures.”* 

Even the Quaker, when he makes his solemn af¬ 
firmation, is pronouncing an oath as sacred, though 
under a different form, as he who kisses the Bible. 
The essence of an oath is not the peculiar cere¬ 
mony which accompanies it, but the implied attest¬ 
ation of God to the truth of the thing declared, or 
to the sincerity of the person making it. 

Sndly. The objection that the oath is adminis¬ 
tered before the secrets are made known, is suffi¬ 
ciently absurd to excuse a smile. The purposes of 
such an oath would be completely frustrated, by re¬ 
vealing the thing to be concealed, before the promise 
of concealment was made. In that case, it would 
be optional with the candidate to give the obliga¬ 
tion, or to withhold it, as best suited his inclination. 
If it be conceded that the exaction of a solemn pro¬ 
mise of secrecy is not, in itself, improper, then cer¬ 
tainly the time of exacting it, is before and not after 
the revelation. 

Dr. Harris has met this objection in the following 
language. 

“ What the ignorant call ‘ the oath,’ is simply an 
obligation, covenant, and promise, exacted previous¬ 
ly to the divulging of the specialities of the Order, 
and our means of recognizing each other; that they 
shall be kept from the knowledge of the world, lest 
their original intent should be thwarted, and their 
benevolent purport prevented. Now pray what 
harm is there in this? Do you not all, when you' 
have any thing of a private nature, which you are 
willing to confide in a particular friend, before you 
tell him what it is , demand a solemn promise of se- 


Exposition of the New Testament. 





THE MYSTIC TIE. 


147 


crecy. And is there not the utmost propriety in 
knowing whether your friend is determined to con¬ 
ceal your secret, before you presume to reveal it ? 
Your answer confutes your cavil.”* * * § 

. ^cdy* The. objection that the oath is accompa¬ 
nied by certain superstitious ceremonies, does not 
seem to be entitled to much weight. Oaths, in all 
countries, and at all times, have been accompanied 
* by peculiar rites, intended to increase the solemnity 
and reverence of the act. The ancient Hebrews, when 
they took an oath, placed the hand beneath the 
thigh of the person to whom they swore. Some¬ 
times the ancients took hold of the horns of the al¬ 
tar, and touched the sacrificial fire, as in the 
league between Latinus and iEneas, where the ce¬ 
remony is thus described by Virgil: 

“ Tango aras; mediosque ignes, et numina, testor.”f 

Sometimes they extended the right hand to hea¬ 
ven, and swore by earth, sea and stars.J Some¬ 
times, as among the Romans in private contracts, 
the person swearing laid his hand upon the hand of 
the party to whom he swore.|| In all solemn cove¬ 
nants the oath was accompanied by a sacrifice, and 
some of the hair being cut from the victim’s head, a 
part of it was given to all present, that each one might 
take a share in the oath and be subject to the impreca¬ 
tion.§ Other ceremonies were practised at various 


* Masonic Discourses—Disc. ix. p. 174. 
f iEneid, xii. 201: 

u I touch the sacred altars, touch the flames, 

And all those powers attest, and all their names .”—Dry den. 
t As in the same league : 

“ Suspiciens ccelum ; tenditque ad sidera dextram: 

Hsec eadem, dSuea, terram, mare, sidera, juro.”— sEn. xii. 196. 
|| Potter, Archseologia Grseca. B. II. ch. vi. p 229. 

§ Ibidem. 



148 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


times, and in different countries for the purpose of 
throwing around the act of attestation, an increased 
amount of awe and respect. The oath is equally obli¬ 
gatory without them, but they have their significance, 
and there can be no reason why the Freemasons 
should not be allowed to adopt the mode most pleasing 
to themselves of exacting their promises, or confirm¬ 
ing their covenants. The ceremonies, attributed by 
the Synod of Scotland, and the other adversaries of 
the institution, to the Masons, are, according to their 
own statement, perfectly innocent in themselves; 
and charity, as well as common sense, would sug¬ 
gest the possibility, that, to those who unite in them, 
these ceremonies, if there are any such, may have 
some impressive and appropriate signification. It 
is a mark of the grossest ignorance, and the conse¬ 
quence of a contracted intellect, to condemn what 
is not understood, simply because it is incompre¬ 
hensible. 

4thly. It is objected that the oath is attended with 
a penalty of a serious or capital nature. If this be 
the case, it does not appear that the expression of a 
penalty of any nature whatever, can affect the pur¬ 
port or augment the solemnity of an oath, which is 
in fact the attestation of God to the truth of a decla¬ 
ration, as a witness and avenger, and hence every 
oath, includes in itself and as its very 'essence the 
covenant of God’s wrath, the heaviest of all penal¬ 
ties, as the necessary consequence of its violation. 
The writer in reply to the Synod of Scotland; to 
whom I have already referred, quotes the opinion of 
an eminent jurist to this effect: 

“ It seems to be certain, that every promissory 
oath, in whatever form it may be conceived, whe¬ 
ther explicitly or implicitly, virtually contains both 
an attestation and an obsecration. For in an oath. 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


149 


the execration supposes an attestation as a prece¬ 
dent ; and the attestation infers an execration as a 
necessary consequence.”* 

Hence ^then to the believer in a superintending 
Providence, every oath is “ an affirmation, negation 
or promise, corroborated by the attestation of the 
Divine Beingthis attestation includes an obse¬ 
cration of divine punishment in case of a violation, 

^ and it is therefore a matter of no moment, whether 
this obsecration or penalty be expressed in words, or 
only implied ; its presence or absence does not in any 
degree alter the nature of the obligation, t If in any 
promise or vow made by Masons, such a penalty is 
inserted, it may probably be supposed that it is used 
only with a metaphorical and paraphrastical signifi¬ 
cation, and for the purpose of symbolic or historical 
allusion. Any other interpretation but this, would 
be entirely at variance with the opinions of the most 
intelligent Masons, who, it is to be presumed, best 
know the intent and meaning of their own ceremo- 
nies. 

5thly. The last and indeed the most important 
objection urged, is that these oaths are construed by 
Masons as being of higher obligation than the law of 
the land. It is vain that this charge has been re¬ 
peatedly and indignantly denied—it is in vain that 
we point to the integrity of character of thousands of 
eminent men who have been members of the frater- 


* 11 Illud videtur esse certum, omne juramentum promissorium, qua- 
cunque forma concipiatur, explication vel contraction, utramque virtu- 
abter continere attestationem, scilicet et execrationem. Naminjura- 
mento, et execratio supponit attestationem, ut quid sibi prius; et 
attestatio subinfert execrationem ut suum necessarium consequens.” 

Saunderson, de oblig. jurament.prcel. 1. § x. 
t “ Whatever may be the form of an oath, its signification is the same. 
God is called to witness or to notice, what we swear; and it is invok- 
iug his vengeance or renouncing his favor, if what we say be false, or 
if what we promise be not performed.”— Paley , Book III. ch. ccvi • 

13* 




150 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


nity—it is in vain that we recapitulate the order 
loving and law fearing regulations of the institution. 
The charge is renewed with untiring pertinacity, 
and believed with a credulity that owes its birth to 
rancorous prejudice alone. Let us then seek for its 
refutation in the language of our adversaries them¬ 
selves. W. L. Stone was at one time a Mason of 
some eminence in the State of New York, but in the 
anti-masonic excitement, he renounced his connexion 
with the Order, and as an evidence of the sincerity of 
his abjuration, wrote an octavo book of five hun¬ 
dred and sixty pages, for the avowed purpose of 
proving that the masonic institution “ cannot and 
ought not longer to be sustained.” This work was 
composed in the form of letters which were address¬ 
ed to John Quincy Adams, the personal and political 
friend of Stone, and one of the bitterest enemies of 
Freemasonry that those days of excitement and bit¬ 
terness produced. In the seventh of these letters, 
Col. Stone thus meets and refutes the accusation 
that Masons hold the obligations of the Order as par¬ 
amount to those of the laws of the country in which 
they live. 

“Is it then to be believed, that men of acknow¬ 
ledged talents and worth in public stations, and of 
virtuous, and frequently religious habits, in the walks 
of private life—with the Holy Bible in their hands, 
which they are solemnly pledged to receive, as the 
rule and guide of their faith and practice—and un¬ 
der the grave and positive charge from the.officer 
administering the obligation, that it is to be taken in 
strict subordination to the civil laws—can under¬ 
stand that obligation, whatever may be the peculia¬ 
rities of its phraseology, as requiring them to coun¬ 
tenance vice and criminality, even by silence ? Can 
it for a moment be supposed, that the hundreds of 



THE MYSTIC TIE. 


151 


eminent men, whose patriotism is unquestioned, and 
the exercise of whose talents and virtues, have shed 
a lustre upon the Church history of our country, and 
who by their walk and conversation, have in their 
own lives, illustrated the beauty of holiness ;—is it to 
be credited, that the tens of thousands of those per¬ 
sons, ranking among the most intelligent and virtu¬ 
ous citizens of the most moral and enlightened people 
on earth;—is it, I ask, possible, that any portion of 
this commnnity, can, on calm reflection, believe that 
such men have oaths upon their consciences, bind¬ 
ing them to eternal silence in regard to the guilt of 
any man because he happens to be a Freemason, no 
matter w'hat be the grade of offence, whether it be 
the picking of a pocket, or the shedding of blood ? 
It does really seem to me impossible, that such an 
opinion could, at any moment, have prevailed, to 
any considerable extent, amongst reflecting and in¬ 
telligent citizens. Yet, still I am aware, that an aw¬ 
ful example of fact can be cited against me. # And 


* He here alludes to the well known case of Morgan. I do not in¬ 
tend at this time, to open that unhappy controversy, hut it may be as 
well to remind the reader that the only witness who testified to the cir¬ 
cumstances of the imprisonment and murder, was one Edward Gid- 
dins—that much of his evidence was of a hearsay character—-that the 
appeared in the questionable position of an accomplice confessing his 
guilt to escape punishment—that his testimony is corroborated neither 
by circumstances nor by other witnesses—and that lastly, according to 
his own showing, he was an atheist. On the other, there are good 
reasons for believing that no violence was ever offered to the persou of 
Morgan, but that he left this country for the. purpose of his own pecu¬ 
niary emolument. The Chaplain of the Frigate Brandywine, which 
carried Lafayette to France in the year 1825, and was afterwards sta¬ 
tioned in the Mediterranean, states in an account of the cruise which he 
published, that he saw and conversed with Morgan at Smyrna in Tur¬ 
key. Again, one Ezra Sturges Anderson, stated in the Hallowell Advo¬ 
cate, that he had seen Morgan whom he knew years before, passing by 
the name of Herrington, on Mount Desert Island on the coast of Maine, 
in April 1829, hale and hearty and boasting that he had made $20,000 by 





152 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


I am also aware, that the authors of the example to 
which I refer, have not been treated by the whole 
masonic fraternity, with that degree of indignation 
and abhorrence which they justly merited. On the 
contrary, it is but too true, that in some instances, 
ignorance and fanaticism have conspired to extend 
aid and comfort to those, who with good cause are 
believed to be of the guilty number. Still, however, 
1 must protest against the construction attempted to 
be put upon the obligations, as being directly at va¬ 
riance with the interpretation always given them by 
those with whom I have formerly mingled in inti¬ 
mate fellowship among Masons.”* 

These are, I believe, the only objections that have 
been urged to the masonic oath, vow, or promise, 
which ever of these it may be considered, and 1 
trust that I have shown their insufficiency. As to 
the assertion made by a few anti-masonic writers, 
that these obligations have no binding force, as this 
question is entirely unconnected with the defence of 
the institution, and as any effort to prove the falsity 
of such a doctrine would, in my opinion, be an insult 
to the principles of honor and even of common hon¬ 
esty, which I presume to actuate my readers, I 
shall leave this topic entirely untouched. 


his book. I know not how much credibility is to be attached to either 
of these statements, but I suppose, that they are worth at least as much 
as those of Giddins, and at all events they leave us to form our opinions 
on this subject altogether from probabilities. Certainly no argument 
on the subject of masonic obligations is to be founded on circumstances 
which we have no reason to believe ever occurred. See a very impar- 
tial narrative of the anti-masonic excitement, written by Henry Brown, 
Counsellor at Law, and published at Batavia, N. Y, in 1829. 

* Stone’s Letters on Masonry and Anti-masonry. Letter vii. pages 
69 and 70. 



THE MYSTIC TIE. 


153 


FREEMASONRY AND WOMAN. 

i “ To have the sanction of the fair is our highest ambition, as our 
greatest care will be to preserve it.” 

Dunckerly, Provincial Grand Master for Essex. 

The prohibition of women from our mysteries, 
has not so much been adduced as an objection, by 
our adversaries, for imputation of censure, as it has 
been introduced by our friends, for the purposes of 
apology. To the intelligent man or woman, the 
fact is one which was to have been expected, in the 
prevailing customs of society, and would hardly 
need a defence, or any other reason for the prohibi¬ 
tion, than that it is neither proper, nor usual, for 
women to mingle in the assemblages of men. As, 
however, the objection has been made, it is perhaps 
expedient, that some reply should be made to it, in 
a work professedly intended to vindicate the charac- 
j ter of the institution. 

Perhaps the best reason that can be assigned, for 
the seclusion of women from our Lodges, will be 
found in the character of our organization as a mys¬ 
tic society. Speculative Freemasonry is only an 
application of the art of operative Masonry to pur¬ 
poses of morality and science. The operative 
branch of our institution was the forerunner and ori¬ 
gin of the speculative. Now as we admit of no in¬ 
novations or changes in our customs, speculative 
Masonry retains, and is governed by, all the rules 
and regulations that existed in, and controlled its 
■operative prototype. Hence, as in this latter art, 
only hale and hearty men, in possession of all their 
limbs and members, so that they might endure the 
fatigues of labor, were employed ; so in the former, 
the rule still holds, of excluding all who are not in 



154 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


the possession of these pre-requisite qualifications. 
Woman is not permitted to participate in our rites 
and ceremonies, not because we deem her unworthy 
or unfaithful, or incapable, as has been foolishly 
supposed, of keeping a secret, but because, on our 
entrance into the Order, we found certain regula¬ 
tions, which prescribed, that only men capable of 
enduring the labor, or of fulfilling the duties of ope¬ 
rative Masons, could be admitted. These regula¬ 
tions we have solemnly promised never to alter; 
nor could they be changed, without an entire disor¬ 
ganization of the whole system of speculative Ma¬ 
sonry. 

Freemasonry is, however, not singular in its treat¬ 
ment of the female sex. Other societies do not per¬ 
mit women to mingle in their deliberations. Gov¬ 
ernments have made a distinction in the rights and 
principles they extend to the two sexes. Females' 
are debarred from participating in the counsels of 
the legislative assembly, from sharing in the glories 
of the battle field, or from enjoying the dignities and 
emoluments of the learned professions. And yet, 
except among a few Amazons, who would willingly 
unsex themselves, we hear of no complaints that 
women are not found among our legislators, our 
generals, our judges, our clergy, or our physicians. 
The truth is, that woman’s proper sphere is another 
more contracted, but more amiable and useful one. 
It is at the domestic hearth, administering happiness 
as the faithful wife, and inculcating the practice of 
virtue as the exemplary mother—it is, in short, in 
the active discharge of all the duties which belong 
to Home —that truly Anglo-Saxon word and Anglo- 
Saxon place—that woman finds her appropriate 
position. There, in the spontaneous gushings of 
her own gentle nature, she will find instictive im- 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


155 


pulses for the exercise of all those virtues, which 
ruder man requires some external motive to teach 
him to Jove and to perform. 

But though we do not admit females to a partici¬ 
pation m our ceremonies, we do not love and che¬ 
rish them the less. One of the most solemn of our 
mystic rites inculcates a reverence for the wife, the 
mother, the daughter, and the sister of the Mason, 
who, in their relationship to our brethren, exercise a 
peculiar claim upon the affections and sympathies 
of the craft. That she is not with us in our labors, 
is our loss, not liers. We miss the encouragement 
of her smile, and the example of her tenderness; 
but while, in our acts of charity and benevolence, 
we do not forget the claims of the widow and the 
orphan, we can hardly deem it a reproach, though 
it may be a misfortune, that we, like all other-soci¬ 
eties, exclude her from an association with us in the 
busi ness of our Lodges. 


THE TESTIMONY OF WASHINGTON* 


“ L®tu sum 

Laudari me abs te, pater, laudato viro.” 

Cneus Ncevius. 


“ My spirits, sire, are raised, 
Thus to be praised by one the world has praised." 


Masons love to dwell on the fact that the illustri¬ 
ous Father of his country, was a brother Mason.— 


* I propose in a portion of the remaining pages of this work, to pro¬ 
duce the testimonials of some of the most eminent, and virtuous men to 
the character of the institution of Freemasonry. Facts and reasoning 
have already been adduced to prove the excellency of its design; these 
contributions of the wise and good will be another and an important 
link in the chain of defence which this work is intended to frame. 





156 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


They feel that under the panoply of his great name, 
they may securely bid defiance to the bitter charges 
of malignity. They know that the world is consci¬ 
ous that Washington, to quote the language of Clin¬ 
ton, “ would not have encouraged an institution hos¬ 
tile to morality, religion, good order, and the public 
welfare.” 

Many testimonials of the good opinion entertained , 
by Washington of the masonic society, of which he 
had been a member from early life, are on record ; a ! 
few however, will suffice to demonstrate that Free¬ 
masons do not boast too much, when they claim him , 
as the undeviating friend and adherent of the insti¬ 
tution. 

In answer to a complimentary address, when Pre¬ 
sident of the United States, from the officers and j 
members of King David’s Lodge in Rhode-Island, 
he said: 

“ Being persuaded that a just application of the 
principles on which the masonic fraternity is found- ' 
ed, must be promotive of private virtue and public 
prosperity, I shall always be happy to advance the 
interest of the society and to be considered by them 
a deserving brother.” 

In 1792, the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts dedi¬ 
cated to him its Book of Constitutions, and in reply¬ 
ing to the communication of the fact, he still more i 
distinctly announces his favorable opinion of Free- 
masonry, in the following sentences : 

“ Flattering as it may be to the human mind, and 
truly honorable as it is, to receive from our fellow- i 
citizens, testimonies of approbation, for exertions to 
promote the public welfare, it is not less pleasing to 
know, that the milder virtues of the heart are flighty 
respected by a society, whose liberal principles are 
founded on the immutable laws of truth and justice. 






THE MYSTIC TIE. 


157 


“ To enlarge the sphere of social happiness is 
worthy of the beautiful design of a masonic institu¬ 
tion ; and it is most fervently to be wished, that the 
^ conduct of every member of the fraternity, as well 
as those publications that discover the principles 
which actuate them, may tend to convince mankind 
that the grand object of Masonry is to promote the 
happiness of the human race.” 

That our beloved brother continued through life 
to entertain these favorable opinions of the masonic- 
institution, will be evident from the following expres¬ 
sion contained in a reply made by him to the Grand 
Lodge of Massachusetts in April 1798, not three 
years before his death. 

“ My attachment,” he says, “ to the society of 
which we are members, will dispose me always to 
contribute my best endeavors to promote the honor 
and interest of the craft.” 

For the following explicit expression of what 
may be supposed to be the last published opinion of 
Washington, as to the character of the masonic in¬ 
stitution, we are indebted to the researches of Charles 
Gilman, Esq., Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of 
Maryland. It is to be found in an extract from a let¬ 
ter written to the Grand Lodge of Maryland, on the 
8th November 1798, only thirteen months before his 
death. The original is contained in the archives of 
that body, and a copy has lately been published for 
the first time in Moore’s Freemasons’ Monthly Ma¬ 
gazine.* The letter commences as follows: 

“ Gentlemen and Brothers :—Your obliging and af¬ 
fectionate letter, together with a copy of the Consti¬ 
tutions of Masonry, has been put into my hands by 
your Grand Master, for which I pray you to accept 


14 


Vol. vii. p. 359. 




158 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


my best thanks. So far as I am acquainted with 
the principles and doctrines of Freemasonry, I con¬ 
ceive them to be founded in benevolence, and to be 
exercised only for the good of mankind; I cannot 
therefore, upon this ground, withdraw my approba¬ 
tion from it.” 

Gen. Washington cultivated Masonry with sedu¬ 
lous attention. While Commander-in-chief of the 
army, he countenanced the establishment and en¬ 
couraged the labors of travelling Lodges among the 
military, considering them as schools of urbanity, 
well calculated to disseminate those mild virtues of 
the heart which are so ornamental to the human 
character, and so peculiarly fitted to alleviate the 
miseries of war. And notwithstanding the engross¬ 
ing cares of his high station, he found frequent oppor¬ 
tunities of visiting the Lodges, and participating in 
the labors of the craft.* 

The Hon. Timothy Bigelow delivered a eulogy 
on the character of Washington before the Grand 
Lodge of Massachusetts, on the 11th of February 
1800, and at that period so near the date of his 
death, when authentic information could easily be 
obtained, and when it is scarcely probable that an 
erroneous statement of so important a nature would 
wilfully have been made, Bigelow asserts on the au¬ 
thority of members of Washington’s own Lodge, 
that he died the Master of a Lodge. Bigelow’s lan¬ 
guage is as follows : 

“ The information received from our brethren, who 
had the happiness to be members of the Lodge over 
which he presided for .many years, and of which he 
died the Master, furnishes us abundant proof of his 


* Bigelow’s Eulogy before the 
1800. 


Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. A. D 




THE MYSTIC TIE. 


159 


persevering zeal for the prosperity of the institution. 
Constant and punctual in his attendance, scrupulous 
in his observance of the regulations of the Lodge, 
and solicitous at all times to communicate light and 
instruction, he discharged the duties of the chair 
with uncommon dignity and intelligence in all the 
mysteries of our art.” 

Washington was initiated into the mysteries of 
Freemasonry, on the 4th of November 1752 in Fre¬ 
dericksburg in Virginia ; he received his second de¬ 
gree on the 3d of March, and his third on the 4th of 
August in the following year. This appears from the 
“ Ledger” or Record Book of the Lodge, from which 
Brother Moore made the following extract when on 
a visit to Washington in 1848, to assist in the cere¬ 
monies of laying the corner stone of the Washington 
Monument. 

“ November 4, 5752,—Received of Mr. George 
Washington, for his entrance <£23.” 

“March 3, 5753,—George Washington passed 
Fellow Craft.” 

August 4, 5753,—George Washington raised Mas¬ 
ter Mason.” 

At Alexandria, Va., is contained the original 
Warrant of Constitution of Lodge No. 22, of which 
we have a right to presume that Washington was 
the first Master,* from the fact that his name is first 
mentioned in the list of brethren, to whom the war¬ 
rant was granted. Mooret gives the following ex¬ 
tract from this interesting document, which he co¬ 
pied some years ago from the original. 

“I, Edward Randolph, Governor of the State, 


* Masonic usage authorizes the inference that he must have been 
the first Master of this Lodge, and the testimony of Bigelow, already 
quoted, leaves no doubt of his having passed the chair. 

+ Freemasons’ Magazine, vol. vii. p. 313. 



160 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


and Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Virginia 
—Do hereby constitute and appoint our Illustrious 
and well-beloved Brother, George Washington, 
late General and Commander-in-Chief of the forces 
of the United States of America, and our worthy 

Brothers-McCrea, William Hunter, Jr., and 

John Allison, Esq., together with all such other 
Brethren as may be admitted to associate with them, 
to be a just, true, and regular Lodge of Freema¬ 
sons, by the name, title, and designation of the 
Alexandria Lodge, No. 22.” 

The name of this Lodge was changed, in 1805, 
to that of “ Washington Alexandria Lodge.” It is 
still in active operation, and occupied a distinguished 
place in the ceremonial of laying the corner stone 
of the Washington Monument, on the 4th of July, 
1848. 

These testimonials of the masonic life and opin¬ 
ions of the “ Father of his country,” are of inesti¬ 
mable value to the defence of the institution.— 
“ They demonstrate,” to use the language of bro¬ 
ther Moore, “ beyond controversy, his attachment to 
the institution—the high estimation in which he held 
its principles—his conviction of its ability to pro¬ 
mote 4 private virtue and public prosperity.’ And 
they place, beyond all doubt, his ‘ disposition al¬ 
ways to contribute his best endeavors to promote 
the honor and interest of the craft’—a disposition 
which he continued to manifest, and on all proper 
occasions to avow, to the latest period of his life.” 


THE TESTIMONY OF JOHN ADAMS. 


John Adams, the successor of George Washing¬ 
ton in the Presidential Chair of the United States, 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


161 


and one of the most distinguished patriots in that 
eventful period of our history, which is emphatical¬ 
ly described as having been “ the time that tried 
men’s souls,” was himself no Mason, but he has 
publicly declared his favorable opinion of the cha¬ 
racter of the institution. 

In the year 1798, the Grand Lodge of Massachu¬ 
setts communicated an address to President Adams, 
in acknowledgement of the wisdom, firmness, and 
integrity, which had characterized his public con¬ 
duct. To this address Mr. Adams replied in a 
strain of encomium, which will surely more than 
compensate for the profound abuse, which subse¬ 
quently, during a time of political excitement, was 
lavished upon the institution by John Quincy 
Adams, his son. The censure of the son, based 
upon false statements and unproved charges, will 
sink into oblivion—but the encomium of the fa¬ 
ther, founded on the experience and examples of his 
friends, the good and great men of the nation, will 
remain an enduring memorial of the virtuous cha¬ 
racter of our Order. 

The reply of Mr. Adams, addressed to the Grand 
Lodge of Massachusetts, is in the following words. 

“ As I never had the honor to be one of your an¬ 
cient fraternity, I feel myself under the greater ob¬ 
ligations to you, for this affectionate and respectful 
address. Many of my best friends have been Ma¬ 
sons, and two of them, my professional patron, the 
learned Gridley, and my intimate friend, your im¬ 
mortal Warren, whose life and death were lessons 
and examples of patriotism and philanthropy, were 
Grand Masters; yet so it has happened, that I had 
never the felicity to be initiated. Such examples as 
these, and a greater still in my venerable predeces¬ 
sor, would have been sufficient, to induce me to hold 
14* 


162 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


the institution and fraternity in esteem and honor, as 
favorable to the support of civil authority, if I had 
not known their love of the fine arts, their delight 
in hospitality, and devotion to humanity. 

“Your indulgent opinion of my conduct, and your 
benevolent wishes for the fortunate termination of 
my public labors, have my sincere thanks. 

“ The public engagement of your utmost exer¬ 
tions in the cause of your country, and the offer of 
your services to protect the fair inheritance of your 
ancestors, are proofs, that you are not chargeable 
with those designs, the imputation of which, in other 
parts of the world, has embarrassed the public 
mind, with respect to the real views of your so¬ 
ciety.” 


TESTIMONY OF GEN. JACKSON. 

Of the early masonic history of Andrew Jack¬ 
son but little is known. In a tribute to his memory, 
prepared by the Rev. Mr. Neeley, the Grand Chap¬ 
lain of the Grand Lodge of Tennessee, it is stated 
that, in the early part of his life, he was connected 
with a Lodge that met at Clover Bottom, under the 
jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Kentucky. In 
the year 1822 , he was elected and installed as 
Grand Master of Tennessee, and presided during 
the session of that year, with all the firmness and 
dignity which distinguished him in other situations 
of command. He was, in the subsequent year, re¬ 
elected to this important position, and continued to 
exercise its functions with his usual promptitude and 
decision. He was connected with the Order until 
the time of his death, and had made some progress 
in the higher degrees, since we find him, but a few 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


163 


years previous to bis death, assisting in the imposing 
ceremonies of installing the officers of Cumberland 
Royal Arch Chapter. The testimony of a man, 
whose public career was so intimately interwoven ' 
with the destinies of the nation, and whose private 
life was a beautiful illustration of benevolence, is 
too valuable to be omitted in a work, professedly 
intended to be a defence of Freemasonry. 

In 1833, Gen. Jackson, while on a visit to Boston, 
was invited, by the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, 
to visit them at a special communication to be called 
for that purpose. The General made arrangements 
for doing so, but on the arrival of the evening was 
compelled to forego his intention, in consequence of 
excessive fatigue. He sent, however, a letter, in 
which he expressed his favorable wishes for the 
prosperity of the institution, as one “ calculated to 
benefit mankind.” The Hon. Joel R. Poinsett, one 
of the President’s suite, attended the communica¬ 
tion, and delivered the following message, in which 
the opinion entertained by Jackson of the institution, 
is explicitly stated. 

“Most Worshipful Brother: The President of 
the United States has charged me to express to his 
brethren of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, his 
sincere regret at being prevented, by indisposition, 
from accepting their invitation to meet them in the 
temple,—and from tendering to them, in person, his 
acknowledgments for their attentions. He begged, 
me to assure them, that he shall ever feel a lively 
interest in the welfare of an institution, with which 
he has been so long connected, and whose objects 
are purely philanthropic; and he has instructed me 
to express to them the high esteem and fraternal re¬ 
gard which he cherishes for them all.” 


164 


■THE MYSTIC TIE* 


TESTIMONY OF LA FAYETTE. 

La Fayette, the early friend of our country, and 
the beloved pupil of Washington, was a disciple of 
our Order, whose attachment to it lasted with life, 
and whose public and private virtues reflected ho¬ 
nor on the institution which hailed him as one of its 
sons. “ La Fayette—the good La Fayette, the pa¬ 
triot of both hemispheres,” says De Witt Clinton, 
“was always the devoted friend of Freemasonry. 

•—He saw in it a constellation of virtues; and, 
wherever he went, he took every opportunity of de¬ 
monstrating his attachment, and of expressing his 
veneration.” From among many public testimo¬ 
nials, given by him to the character of the institu¬ 
tion, the following may be deemed sufficient. 

In the year 1825, while on his well remembered 
visit to our shores as “ the Nation’s Guest,” he was 
invited to visit La Fayette Lodge No. 81, which had 
been constituted in the city of Cincinnati. He com¬ 
plied with the invitation. 

On his arrival within the precincts of the Lodge, 
he was received by the Worshipful Master with a 
congratulatory address, to which our ancient bro¬ 
ther made an appropriate reply, too long for inser¬ 
tion, but from which one extract may be made, em¬ 
bodying his exalted opinion of the institution. 

“To find,” said he, “ a splendid and populous 
city in a place which, when I last quitted your 
shores, was exclusively the haunts of the savage 
and of wild beasts, presents a fact not less aston¬ 
ishing than it is pleasing to me, as one of the as- 
serters of your independence. These emotions are 
much enhanced by meeting, in such a place, so 
many respectable members of that Order , whose 




THE MYSTIC TIE. 


165 


leading star is philantrhopy , and whose principles in¬ 
culcate an unceasing devotion to the cause of virtue and 
morality .” 

La Fayette was indeed a true Mason, and omitted 
no opportunity of benefitting the cause of Masonry, 
and of offering to the institution the public demon¬ 
stration of his respect and attachment. He was, I 
believe, a member of the Lodge L’Egalite, in Paris; 
and often assisted in its deliberations, even in the 
zenith of his European fame, when he was the cen¬ 
tre of all attraction, and overborne with public busi¬ 
ness. That he did not regret this attachment at a 
later period, we may learn from his own declaration, 
in the address just quoted, “that the reflection that 
he had, in any way, benefitted Masonry, would add 
to his enjoyment; and that the recollection of his 
connexion with the Order on that day, would much 
assist in cheering an old man in the evening of his 
days.” 


TESTIMONY OF THE DUKE OF SUSSEX. 

“ When dies the Prince, or when the Peasant dies, 

How seldom truth the epitaph supplies; 

But if of Sussex all that’s true be told, 

Few were his faults—his virtues manifold.— J. Lee Stevens. 

Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex was the sixth 
son of George the Third, King of England, and like 
his father and all his brothers, was a member of the 
masonic family. He was initiated into the fraternity 
when in his 26th year of age, in 1798 at Berlin in the 
Royal York Lodge of that city. He served in several 
offices in this Lodge, and was at one time, in his ca¬ 
pacity of a Warden, a representative of it in the 


166 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


Grand Lodge of England. He subsequently received 
the honorary appointment of Past Grand Warden, and 
in 1812, he was appointed Deputy Grand Master of 
England by his brother the Prince Regent, who was 
at that time the Grand Master of the craft in England. 
In the succeeding year, the Prince of Wales having 
declined a re-election, the Duke of Sussex was cho¬ 
sen to supply his place, and continued to exercise the 
functions of that important office, for more than thirty 
years, with a zeal, skill and fidelity that has been sel¬ 
dom equalled, and can never be surpassed. During 
this long period of his connexion with the fraternity, 
he never omitted an opportunity publicly of testify¬ 
ing his admiration of the principles and practice of 
the institution of which he was the head, and one of 
the most worthy members. 

In a speech at Sunderland in 1839, this distin¬ 
guished Mason paid the following high tribute to the 
influence of Freemasonry on his long and neither 
uneventful nor useless life. 

“ When I first determined to link myself with this 
noble institution, it was a matter of very serious con¬ 
sideration with me; and I can assure the brethren, 
that it was at a period when, at least, I had the 
power of well considering the matter,' for it was not 
in the boyish days of my youth, but at the mature 
age of twenty-five or twenty-six. I did not take it 
up as a light and trivial matter, but as a grave and 
serious concern of my life. I worked my way dili¬ 
gently, passing through all the different offices of 
Junior and Senior Warden, Master of a Lodge, then 
Deputy Grand Master, until I finally closed it by 
the proud station which I have the honor to hold, 
rherefore, having studied it, having reflected upon 
it, I know the value of the institution; and I may 
venture to say, that in all my transactions through 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


167 


life, the rules and principles laid down and pre¬ 
scribed by our Order, have been, to the best of my 
faculties, strictly followed. And if I have been of 
any use to society at large, it must be attributed in 
a great degree, to the impetus derived from Ma¬ 
sonry.” 

On another occasion this illustrious Mason, paid a 
still higher tribute to the admirable character of our 
institution, in the following expressive language. 

“ Masonry is one of the most sublime and perfect 
institutions that ever was formed for the advance¬ 
ment of happiness, and the general good of mankind, 
creating in all its varieties, universal benevolence 
and brotherly love. It holds out allurements so 
captivating, as to inspire the brotherhood with emu¬ 
lation to deeds of glory, such as must command, 
throughout the world, veneration and applause; and 
such as must entitle those who perform them to 
dignity and respect. It teaches us those useful, wise 
and instructive doctrines, upon which alone true 
happiness is founded ; and at the same time affords 
those easy paths by which we attain the rewards of 
virtue; it teaches us the duty we owe to our neigh¬ 
bor, never to injure him in any one situation, but to 
conduct ourselves with justice and impartiality; it 
bids us not to divulge the mystery to the public, and 
it orders us to be true to our trust, and above all 
meanness and dissimulation, and in all our vocations 
to perform religiously that which we ought to do.” 

But the highest testimony that the Duke of Sussex 
gave to the excellent design of the masonic institu¬ 
tion, was his own long and undiminished attachment 
to it. The enterprize with which he engaged in 
the promotion of its charities, and the zeal with 
which he directed his literary mind to the study of 


168 


THE MYSTIC TIE* 


its antiquities and symbols, are convincing proofs of 
the high regard which he felt for the institution. 

“ As a Freemason,” says the Freemason’s Quar¬ 
terly Review, “he was the most accomplished 
Craftsman of his day. His knowledge of the mys¬ 
teries, was as it were, intuitive; his reading on the 
subject was extensive; his correspondence equally 
so; and his desire to be introduced to any brother, 
from whose experience he could derive any informa¬ 
tion, had in it a craving that marked his great devo¬ 
tion to the Order. His affability was so free from 
affectation or condescension, that those who for the 
first time, had the honor of an introduction to his 
Royal Highness, were always struck with its pecu¬ 
liar kindness.” 

In his own conduct, the Duke literally obeyed the 
precept, which on one occasion he prescribed to the 
craft. 

“ When the profane who do not know our myste¬ 
ries, are carried away by prejudice, and do not ac¬ 
knowledge the value of our society, let them, by our 
conduct, learn that a good Mason is a good moral 
man, and as such will not trifle with his obligation.” 

TESTIMONY OF THE MARQUIS OF HASTINGS. 

The late Marquis of Hastings, Governor General 
of India, and formerly Deputy Grand Master of 
England, in an address to the fraternity a few years 
since, thus describes the beneficial effect of the ma¬ 
sonic institution upon his own character. 

“ The prominent station which 1 hold here, con¬ 
centrates all the rays of the craft upon my person, 
and the illustrious brother,* makes an effort to per- 

* He was replying to some complimentary remarks upon himself, 
made by the Duke of Sussex, 






THE MYSTIC TIE. 


169 


suade himself that this lunar brilliance is the genuine 
irradiation of the sun. My real relation to you may 
be best explained by an Asiatic apologue. In the 
baths of the East, perfumed clay is used instead of 
soap. A poet is introduced, who breaks out in an 
enthusiastic flow of admiration at the odor of a lump 
of clay of this sort. ‘ Alas !’ answers the clay, ‘ I 
am only a piece of ordinary earth, but I happened 
to come in contact with the rose, and I have bor¬ 
rowed some of its fragrance.’ I have borrowed the 
character of the virtues inherent in this institution ; and 
my best hope is, that however minute be the portion 
with which I have been imbued, at least, I am not 
likely to lose what has been so fortuitously acquired.” 

This is a tribute in which truth has been render¬ 
ed more fascinating by the language of eloquence. 


TESTIMONY OF LORD COMBERMERE. 

The following profound tribute to the character of 
the masonic institution, was paid by Lord Comber- 
mere, Provincial Grand Master for Cheshire, Eng¬ 
land, in a speech made in 1839, before the Provin¬ 
cial Grand Lodge of Liverpool. 

“ He did not say,” such is the report of his speech, 
“ what his character might have been, had he not 
been a member of the masonic body, but he declared 
that the principles of Freemasonry had inculcated the 
strictest ideas of honor, honesty and good feeling. 
In all his services as a military man, he had never 
met with a bad soldier who was a brother Mason. 
There were it is true, good and bad men in aU com¬ 
munities ; and it would be strange indeed, if in the 
society of Freemasons there would not be found 
some who might disgrace the Order, but he pledged 

15 


170 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


himself, that he had never met with such characters. 
He repeated it, in all his travels in foreign countries, 
he had never known a bad soldier who was a mem¬ 
ber of the craft; and with this knowledge, and in 
admiration of the principles which Freemasonry in¬ 
culcated, he was happy to acquaint them, that his 
son had determined to be initiated, and he firmly 
believed that by becoming a Mason, he might be¬ 
come a better man.” 

An anti-masonic writer has, in the course of an in¬ 
discriminate abuse of the institution, declared that 
no instance was ever known of a father who was a 
Freemason, recommending his son to unite himself 
with the Order. Masons, need not be reminded how 
full of falsehood is that charge, and the final clause 
of the passage here quoted will be at least one stri¬ 
king refutation of it. 


TESTIMONY OF LORD RAMSAY. 

In the year 1837, Lord Ramsay, at that time 
the Grand Master of Scotland, expressed his high 
opinion of our institution in the following emphatic 
language: 

“ When I call to mind the circumstances of the 
degrees through which I have had the honor to pass, 
I am filled with admiration of the pure morality of 
the principles inculcated, the beauty of the ceremo¬ 
nies, and the chaste and striking language in which 
instruction is conveyed. I reverence Freemasonry, 
for that it employs, symbolically, the implements 
of the art which we profess, to teach us to contem¬ 
plate the mighty hand of the Creator; and is ever 
reminding us, by them, of that Almighty Architect 
of the universe, who layeth the beams of his cham- 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


171 


bers in the waters ; who hath laid the foundations of 
the earth so that it cannot be moved ; while by ano¬ 
ther symbol, it calls to our recollection that not only 
[ our deeds, but the thoughts, too, of our utmost 
hearts, are beneath the inspection of that All-Seeing 
Eye, which never slumbereth nor sleepeth.” 

The symbolical instructions of Freemasonry, thus 
eloquently eulogized by the Grand Master of Scot¬ 
land, are well entitled to all that has been, or can 
be said in their praise. It is from them, as I have 
already observed, that our institution claims the ap¬ 
pellation of a science of symbols. The opinion of 
one, who has devoted a long life to their study, may 
appropriately claim a place in this work, and serve 
as a confirmation of what has been said by Lord 
Ramsay. 

“ The signs or marks of our sublime science,” 
says Dr. Oliver,* “ are generally explained on a 
principle which is evident and satisfactory, and not 
liable to misapprehension, although Freemasonry is 
a secret society. Whether these symbols have been 
constructed from instruments of manual labor, from 
geometrical figures, from the works of nature, or the 
sublime vaults of heaven, there can be no doubt in 
the mind of the well-instructed Mason, respecting 
their general reference and application. The de¬ 
sign of their adoption was to embody valuable mo¬ 
ral and religious truths, that the view of a sensible 
object might raise before the contemplative bro¬ 
ther’s mental eye, some intellectual maxim, by 
which he might become wiser and better. This is 
a noble design. It allures to the pursuit of virtue, 
and inspires a love for investigations, whose aim 
and end are the perfection of our mental faculties. 


Historical Landmarks, vol. ii. p. 617. 




172 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


And thus science is applied to the practice of moral 
virtue and religious duty.” 


TESTIMONY OF LORD DURHAM. 

The Earl of Durham, formerly Deputy Grand 
Master of England, in address on the 21st January 
1834, before the Provincial Grand Lodge of Dur¬ 
ham, assigned the following reasons for the support 
and protection he had formerly given to the masonic 
institution. 

“ I have eYer felt it my duty to support and en¬ 
courage the principles of Freemasonry, because it 
powerfully developes all social and benevolent affec¬ 
tions ; because it mitigates without, and annihilates 
within, the virulence of political and theological con¬ 
troversy ; because it affords the only neutral ground 
on which all ranks and classes can meet in perfect 
equality, and associate without degradation or mor¬ 
tification, whether for the purpose of moral instruc¬ 
tion or social intercourse.” 

This power oi Freemasonry to “ annihilate the vi¬ 
rulence of political and theological controversy,” 
and to “develope the social and benevolent affec¬ 
tions,” would give it if properly exercised an admira¬ 
ble influence in alleviating the horrors if not entirely 
abolishing the necessity of war. Masonic Lodges 
are the best Peace Societies in the world. An illus¬ 
trative passage on this subject, written during the 
Greek revolution by M. Des Etangs,* a distinguished 
French Mason, and the President of the Council of 
Trinosophes in Paris, may form an appropriate com- 

* In a work entitled “ La Franc Maconnerie rendue 4 ses vrais prin- 
eipes.” 



THE MYSTIC TIE. 


173 


ment on the opinion of Lord Durham. He is speak¬ 
ing of what would be the influence of Freemasonry 
in restoring peace to Greece, then distracted by in¬ 
testine broils and harrassed by a foreign war. 

“ What can be done to save Greece ? It can only 
be accomplished by the efficacy of Freemasonry. 
Masonry alone will be capable of calming the spirits 
of the belligerent powers, of touching their hearts 
and assuaging their passions. Apply this remedy, 
and it will operate upon the Turks themselves, and 
all other nations who have taken part in the dispute. 
One honest Mason, possessed of zeal, knowledge and 
discretion, would gain their hearts and effect more 
than a hundred thousand bayonets. Twenty maso¬ 
nic Lodges established in Greece, would be capable 
of producing a general pacification—would restore 
union and peace and happiness.” 

In a speech delivered at Freemason’s Hall just 
before his departure for Canada, as Governor-Gen¬ 
eral of that Province, in alluding to the duties of that 
appointment, Lord Durham bestowed another en¬ 
comium on the benign spirit of Freemasonry. 

“1 am sensible of the duties thereby imposed upon 
me, but this I know, that if there be any principles 
which will best direct the course of my conduct; 
they will be found in the strictest observance of 
those which illustrate and adorn the craft. When I 
remember that the love of justice and toleration are 
among the primary objects of Freemasonry, I feel 
that by following those principles which are the or¬ 
naments of our Order, I shall succeed in proportion 
as I shall observe them; thus carrying into practice 
the masonic tenets of peace, forgiveness and cha¬ 
rity.” 


15 * 


174 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


TESTIMONY OF DE WITT CLINTON. 

De Witt Clinton was formerly Grand Master of 
New-York. He was also Governor of the State, 
and one of the most distinguished statesmen and 
purest patriots that ever lived. To his enterprize 
and energy, New-York is indebted for much of that 
internal policy, which has resulted in her extraordi¬ 
nary prosperity. He was not less distinguished in 
private life for the exercise of the domestic virtues, 
than he was illustrious in the discharge of his offi¬ 
cial duties for the most uncompromising integrity. 
The opinion of such a man is well worth recording, 
and we may find enough of it for our purposes, in 
an address delivered by him in 1825, on the in¬ 
stallation of Stephen Van Rensellaer as Grand 
Master of New York. 

“Masonry,” says this great man, “superadds to 
our other obligations, the strongest ties of connexion 
between it and the cultivation of virtue, and fur¬ 
nishes the most powerful incentives to goodness. A 
Freemason is responsible to his Lodge for a course 
of good conduct, and if he deviates from it, he will 
be disgraced and expelled. Wherever he goes, he 
will find a friend in every brother, if he conducts 
himself well, and will be shielded against want, 
and protected against oppression; and he will feel 
in his own bosom the extatic joys of that heaven 
bom charity, which 

“ -decent, modest, easy, kind, 

Softens the high, and rears the abject mind, 

Lays the rough paths of peevish nature even, 

And opens in each heart a little heaven.” 

In alluding to the frivolous, but often repeated 
charge, that there are bad men in the institution, our 



THE MYSTIC TIE. 175 


illustrious brother thus continues his defence and his 
eulogy. 




“ That Freemasonry is sometimes perverted, and 
applied to the acquisition of political ascendency, of 
unmerited charity and convivial excess, cannot be 
disputed ; but this is not the fault of the institution, 
for it inculcates an entire exemption from political 
and religious controversy. It enforces the virtues 
of industry and temperance, and ;t proscribes all 
attempts to gratify ambition and cupidity, or to ex¬ 
ceed the bounds of temperance in convivial enjoy¬ 
ments, under its shade, or through its instrumentali¬ 
ty. In lifting the mind above the dungeon of the 
body, it venerates the grateful odor of plain and 
modest virtue, and patronizes those endowments 
which elevate the human character, and adapt it to 
the high enjoyments of another and better world.” 


TESTIMONY OF EDWARD LIVINGSTON. 

In the year 1830, Edward Livingston was in¬ 
stalled as General Grand High Priest of the Gene¬ 
ral Grand Royal Arch Chapter of the United States, 
when he made the customary address on that occa¬ 
sion. After alluding to the calumnies with which 
the reputation of the Order was at that time as¬ 
sailed, Mr. Livingston proceeded as follows : 

“What shall we say to these imputations?— 
Shall we recriminate? Shall we challenge a com¬ 
parison between the characters, virtues, and services 
of those who have been, and now are, the orna¬ 
ments of the craft and of society, with the charac¬ 
ters, services, and virtues of the proudest of our ac¬ 
cusers ? Shall we point to wretches relieved from 
misery by our charity, the deadly enmities recon- 




176 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


ciled by our interposition, the disconsolate stranger 
comforted by masonic kindness in a foreign land, 
the tears of widows and of orphans dried by ma¬ 
sonic affection, and the broken spirit healed by ma¬ 
sonic consolation? Shall we condescend to justify 
ourselves against imputations, too atrocious to be 
preferred but by malevolence, too absurd to be cre¬ 
dited but by the grossest ignorance ? Or ask whe¬ 
ther any American can doubt about the purity of 
principle in a society, where Washington, and War¬ 
ren, and Clinton have presided—to which Franklin 
and Montgomery, and so many of our revolutionary 
heroes and statesmen belonged, whose lives were 
passed in the service of their country—who honored 
it, while living, by their virtues, and who died in its 
defence—-and of which Jackson and Lafayette, and 
a thousand others, whom the people have delighted 
to honor, are actually members?” 

****** 

“ Indignation is natural, when we hear the society 
to which we belong accused of prompting, by its 
doctrine, a detestable crime; and we are, on every 
occasion, tempted to ask with warmth, how is it, 
that, even supposing a foul murder to have been 
committed by Masons, and that they were incited to 
it by masonic enthusiasm, and a mad perversion of 
its principles, how is it that you can, on this account, 
entertain the absurd idea that such are the tenets of 
a society, among whose members were men, who 
had, for ages, been distinguished for every virtue, 
for patriotism, disinterestedness, and charity—and 
which now contains some of the most celebrated 
for religion, morality, and worth,—pious ministers 
of the gospel, upright magistrates, men of all pro¬ 
fessions, exemplary in their lives and conduct ?— 
Might you not as well ascribe to our holy religion 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


177 


the crimes of those, who, in all times, have, by 
their mad bigotry and enthusiastic zeal, committed 
murders, and spread devastation in the name of a 
God of mercy and peace ? 


TESTIMONY OF MR. POINSETT. 

At the same time that Mr. Livingston of Louisia¬ 
na was installed as General Grand High Priest of 
the General Grand Chapter of the United States, 
the Hon. Joel R. Poinsett of South-Carolina, was in¬ 
stalled as his Deputy. Mr. Poinsett, who in the 
course of his life had done much and suffered much 
for Freemasonry, made a brief but eloquent defence 
of the Order, from which the following paragraph 
is extracted. It is the warm tribute of a noble mind 
to the virtues of an institution, which at that very 
moment was passing through the fierce fires of per¬ 
secution. 

“ Those persons who have organised themselves 
into an opposition to Masonry, cannot know what 
the virtues and duties taught by our venerable insti¬ 
tution really are, or they would be convinced that to 
be anti-masonic is to be anti-moral, anti-charitable, 
and in this country, anti-christian, and anti-republi¬ 
can. If they would only read the prayers and char¬ 
ges of the volume I hold in my hand, (the Ahiman 
Rezon,) they would not say, ‘ we are opposed to all 
conventions of men where such doctrines are taught 
—we will withdraw our trust from all those who are 
guided by such principles.’ If they knew the ben¬ 
efits derived from our honorable and wide-spread 
institution by the poor and distressed, in distant and 
foreign lands, by the shipwrecked mariner, the 


178 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


wounded soldier, and the heart-sick traveller, they 
would not say to their fellow-citizens, ‘ we will de¬ 
prive you of these advantages—you shall renounce 
them, or we will put you to the ban.’ No American 
would so act. The anti-masons must labor under false 
impressions, and the cloud which now hangs over 
us, will soon be dispelled by the light of truth. Let 
Let us in the meantime answer the aspersions that 
are cast upon us, by rigidly practising the virtues 
that are taught us in every Lodge and Chapter we 
enter, and above all, let us abstain from every act 
of retaliation.” 

Mr. Poinsett had received his share of obloquy 
from the enemies of the Order, in consequence of a 
mistaken view of his connexion with the origin of 
Masonry in Mexico. It is due to his character and 
to the value of his testimony as a friend of Masonry, 
that his assertions on this subject should be here re¬ 
corded. In continuing his address, Mr. Poinsett 
said: 

“ I have been most unjustly accused of extending 
our Order and our principles into a neighbouring 
country, with a view of converting them into an en¬ 
gine of political influence. In the presence of this 
respectable assembly of my brethren, and on the 
symbols of our Order spread around me, and the 
sacred book which is open before me, I solemnly 
aver, that this accusation is false and unfounded, 
and that if Masonry has any where been converted 
to any other than the pure and philanthropic purposes 
for which it was first instituted, 1 have in no way 
contributed to such a perversion of its principles; and, 
with the same solemnity I here declare, that if such 
evil councils were ever to prevail in this country, 
and Masonry be perverted to political uses, which 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


179 


God forbid, I would sever the ties, dear as they are 
to me, which now unite me to my brothers.” 


TESTIMONY OF BULWER. 

At a dinner given on the occasion of laying the 
corner stone of a Freemason’s Hall, at Lincoln, the 
celebrated novelist, Sir Edward Lytt'on Bulwer, 
who was himself not a Mason, paid the following 
tribute to our institution, in an address delivered by 
him when “the health of the visitors who were not 
Masons,” was proposed. 

“ When he recollected,” so runs the report, “ the 
antiquity of the institution, which Dr. Oliver had so 
learnedly illustrated, and having himself some little 
pretensions to literary character, knowing the learn¬ 
ed doctor as a student of letters, whose name was 
well known wherever letters were known—he could 
not fail though a stranger, to catch some of the enthu¬ 
siasm which animated, him. For centuries and cen¬ 
turies had Freemasonry existed, ere modern political 
controversies, were ever heard of, and when the to¬ 
pics which now agitate society were not known, but 
all were united in brotherhood and affection. Even 
the angry breath of warfare was powerless before the 
ties of Freemasonry; for during the sanguinary war 
between England and France, he had been told of the 
captain of an English merchantman, who had been 
captured by a French privateer, and on being recog¬ 
nized as a Freemason, he had been restored to his 
own country in safety. The celebrated oriental tra¬ 
veller, Mr. Buckingham, when in India, had fallen 
into the hands of a horde of robbers, and on entering 
into the hut of one of them, when he was discovered to 
be a Freemason, his life was spared and he was again 




180 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


restored to liberty. If then he was now in London, 
advocating the cause of temperance, he was indebt¬ 
ed to Freemasonry for his present existence. He, 
(Sir L. B.) regretted that he has not been able to be 
present at the ceremonial of the morning ; he knew 
the institution to be one founded on the great princi¬ 
ples of Charit}^, Philanthropy and Brotherly Love ; 
but he trusted he should be present at the ceremonial 
of the opening of the new Lodge, not under the name 
of visitor, but entitled to the endearing appellation of 
brother.” 


TESTIMONY OF THE REV. DR. WOLFF. 

The Rev. Dr. Wolff, the celebrated missionary, 
was initiated into Masonry in November, 1846, in 
one of the English Lodges, that of Brotherly Love, 
at Yeovil. After his initiation, when the Lodge had 
been called to refreshment, Dr. Wolff addressed 
the brethren, and stated that he had long wished to 
join the Order, that he might increase his usefulness, 
and be able to enter more fully, and more under- 
standingly, into certain peculiarities of sacred anti¬ 
quity. He also remarked, that he felt fully con¬ 
vinced, that many of the great dangers and diffi¬ 
culties he had experienced, during his travels in the 
East, would have been mitigated, if not entirety 
prevented, had he, before that period, been a Free¬ 
mason ; as he was frequently asked, during his tra¬ 
vels, if he belonged to the Order, and he firmly be¬ 
lieved, that if he had been one of the craft, he 
should have met with protection and brotherly as¬ 
sistance in many quarters, where, instead of them, 
he had experienced insult and danger.” 

On reading this statement of a learned and ex- 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


181 


perienced traveller and missionary, we cannot but 
concur with brother Moore in the suggestion, that 
perhaps it might be well that all our foreign mis¬ 
sionaries were initiated into Masonry, before em¬ 
barking on their duties in other and distant lands.” 


TESTIMONY OF SIR WM. FOLLETT. 

The following extract from “ Stray Leaves from 
a Freemason’s Note Book,” furnishes a valuable 
tribute to our institution from Sir William Follett,. 
late Attorney General of England, and one of the 
profoundest lawyers of the age. It is in noble con¬ 
trast with the illiberal and prejudiced opinion of 
William Wirt, another eminent lawyer, and once 
the Attorney General of the United States. 

“ In the course of conversation with Sir W. Fol¬ 
lett, I inferred, from a passing remark, that he had 
become a Mason. I asked if my conclusion was 
correct. ‘ It is,’ was his reply, ‘ I was initiated at 
Cambridge.’ Light had not then beamed upon my¬ 
self; and I expressed in scoffing terms my astonish¬ 
ment. ‘In your early struggles at the bar,’ re¬ 
marked he, with quiet earnestness, ‘you require 
something to reconcile you to your kind. You see 
so much of bitterness, and rivalry, and jealousy, 
and hatred, that you are thankful to call into active 
agency a system which creates, in all its varieties, 
kindly sympathy, cordial and wide-spread benevo¬ 
lence, and brotherly love.’ ‘ But surely,’ said I, 

‘ you don’t go the length of asserting that Masonry 
does all this?’ ‘And more! The true Mason 
thinks no evil of his brother, and cherishes no de¬ 
signs against him. The system annihilates parties. 
And as to censoriousness and calumny, most salu- 
16 



182 


THE MYSTIC TIE* 


tary and stringent is the curb which masonic prin¬ 
ciple, duly carried out, applies to an unbridled 
tongue.’ ‘Well, well, you cannot connect it with 
religion: you cannot say, or affirm of it, that Ma¬ 
sonry is a religious system?’ ‘ By-and-by you will 
know better,’ was his reply. ‘ Now I will only say, 
that the Bible is never closed in a Mason’s Lodge : 
that Masons habitually use prayer in their Lodges ; 
and, in point of fact, never assemble for any pur¬ 
pose, without performing acts of religion. I gave 
you credit,’ continued he with a smile, ‘ for being 
more thoroughly emancipated from nursery tram¬ 
mels and slavish prejudices.’ # # * * ‘ Mean¬ 

while,’ said he, ‘ is it not worth while to belong to a 
fraternity whose principles, if universal, would put 
down at once and forever the selfish and rancorous 
feelings which now divide and distract society V ” 


TESTIMONY OF LORENZO DOW. 

This eccentric but virtuous man, who, without 
the benefit of much education, was remarkable for 
the shrewdness of his intellect, was initiated into 
Masonry in 1824, at Bristol, in Rhode Island. He 
advanced as far as the degree of Knight Templar, 
and was therefore well prepared to form an opinion 
of the character of the institution; while his own 
devotion to truth, which he carried to an almost 
quixotic extent, precludes the probability that, in ex¬ 
pressing that opinion, he would allow himself to be 
influenced by motives of interest or fear. His tes¬ 
timony may, therefore, be considered as of no ordi¬ 
nary value. 

During the anti-masonic excitement in 1828, he 
published a book, entitled “ Omnifarious Laws Ex- 



THE MYSTIC TIE. 


183 


emplified—or how to Curse and Swear, Lie, Cheat, 
and Kill according to Law.” From this work I 
make the following extracts, in his own quaint and 
rude, but emphatic language. 

“ I have found no cause to repent my journey 
through the degrees of Masonry, ancient and mo¬ 
dern steps—but find the principles to be such as I 
would wish to treasure in my heart , and practice in 
my life, till my dying day—as I now see and feel. 

“ The antiquity of it, the data and circumstances 
attending the origin of the several degrees, the 
parts separate and taken together to form one whole 
—there is a chain and a harmony in the institution, 
common opinion and assertion to the contrary not¬ 
withstanding. 

“It is noble in its administration; to think and 
let think, beyond the narrow contracted prejudices 
of bitter sectarians in these modern times. 

“ In common with other citizens, to do good to all 
-—but those of the brotherhood have more especially 
claim. 

“It is general or universal language, fitted to be¬ 
fit the poor stranger, which no other institution is 
calculated to reach by extending the beneficent 
hand.” 

####** 

“ The missionaries in the East have found the 
benefit of their having been initiated into this an¬ 
cient institution, (in the West,) among the Hindoos 
—when otherwise even their sacred office and cha¬ 
racter would not have saved them. 

“ Other societies strive to make disciples by pro¬ 
selyting, but this does not. Others beg your money, 
when out of the society, or belonging to another, but 
this does not. But in common with other societies, 
and the public at large, they show their equality in 


184 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


paying their proportion of the poor taxes, and also, v 
the general kindness to the neighbors’ distresses; 
yet over and above all that, they aim to help each 
other with their own money, which is not begged 
from others, but is the fruit of their own earnings. 
And provided they wish to extend their institution 
beyond the little, narrow, contracted prejudices of 
local societies, whom do they injure ? Let Truth and 
Justice answer the question !” 


TESTIMONY OF THE KING OF DENMARK. 

Masonry is popular in Denmark, and has been 
fostered and encouraged by the monarch, who is 
Grand Master General of the Order. In 1839, on 
the accession of Christian VIII. to the throne, he 
received, of course, the usual congratulations from 
the Lodges of his kingdom. The following letter, 
dated February 2d, 1840, from that monarch, in 
reply to an address from a Lodge at Alton a, em¬ 
braces his views of the character of the Order. 

“ I have received, with pleasure, the communica¬ 
tion of the 20th December of the last year, in which 
the Lodge Charles au rocher, of Altona, has ad¬ 
dressed to me the congratulations of the Freema¬ 
sons of my kingdom, on my accession to the throne. 
The prosperity of Masonry as a means of strength¬ 
ening our religion, and propagating true brotherly 
love, is one of the dearest wishes of my heart, 
which I trust will be gratified by the help of the 
Grand Architect of the universe, while I continue to 
direct, as Grand Master General, the affairs of the 
Lodges of my dominions. The Lodge Charles au 
rocher, by the masonic zeal of its members, and by 
its relations with the Lodges of the adjoining city, 



THE MYSTIC TIE. 


185 


| has become an object of my particular attention, and 
I shall use my utmost exertions to increase its pros¬ 
perity. It is an evidence of the kind and fraternal 
affection which I desire to see existing among the 
brethren of the two cities, that the brethren of Ham¬ 
burg have included me in their prayers; and I 
: charge the presiding officer of the Lodge Charles 
au rocher, to convey to the brethren of Hamburg 
my most fraternal thanks, and to assure them that I 
shall invoke the blessing of the Grand Architect of 
the universe upon all their masonic labors. I sa¬ 
lute the dignitaries, arid all the brethren of your 
Lodge, with a good will entirely fraternal. 

Christian King. 


TESTIMONY OF LA LANDE. 

M. De La Lande, the celebrated astronomer, 
wrote the article on Freemasonry for the French 
Encyclopedia. The article is marked with all 
the learning which was to have been expected 
from the pen of so distinguished a writer, and 
gives, at some length, the history of the Order. 
From this article I have translated the following 
passages, which will supply the reader with the 
opinions of this great genius on the subject of the 
design and character of the institution. 

“The Society or Order of Freemasons consists 
of a union of chosen persons, who are bound by an 
obligation to love each other as brothers, to assist 
each other when in want, and to preserve an invio¬ 
lable secrecy in relation to all that characterizes 
their society. 

“Every thing which tends to combine men by 
stronger ties is useful to humanity ; in this point of 
16 * 




186 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


view, Masonry is entitled to respect. The secrecy 
which it observes, is the means of more closely con¬ 
necting its members in an intimate union. The 
more we are isolated and separated from the multi¬ 
tude, the more do we cling to those who are around 
us. The union of individuals of the same coun¬ 
try, the same province, the same city, and the 
same family, augments by regular gradations : and 
thus the masonic union has been more than once use¬ 
ful to those who have invoked its aid ; to it many 
Freemasons have been indebted for fortune and for 
life. 

“ The obligations which the Masons contract have 
virtue, their country, and their Order for their objects. 
The investigations which they make concerning 
their candidates, give in general the assurance of 
correctness in their choice; and the trials which 
precede the reception, serve as a test of that firm¬ 
ness and courage which are essential to the preser¬ 
vation of secrecy, and the effective practice of vir¬ 
tue ; and hence there necessary results a select, and 
carefully prepared and cemented association.” 


THE TESTIMONY OF A PATRIARCH. 

Henry Purkitt, the oldest Mason in America, died 
at Boston, Mass., in March, 1846. x\t the time of 
his death he was ninety years of age, and had been 
for fifty years a zealous and faithful Mason ; devo¬ 
ting, during that period, his time, his strength, and 
his wisdom, to the defence of the institution, and 
the promotion of its benevolent objects. The Grand 
Lodge of Massachusetts, of which he was a Past 
Grand Officer, and whose members knew his cha¬ 
racter well, declared that “ his whole life had been 




THE MYSTIC TIE. 


187 


a practice of philanthropy, of honesty, and all the 
moral and social virtues, and his walk upright be¬ 
fore God and man.” 

On the 11th of the preceding September, the 
Grand Lodge of Massachusetts held a quarterly 
communication, to which this venerable patriarch 
of Masonry received his usual summons. But on 
the 8th, he sent for one of the members, and after 
stating to him his regret that the physical infirmity 
consequent on extreme age would prevent his at¬ 
tendance, he delivered a message to the Grand 
Lodge, in the course of which he paid this dying 
testimony to the truthful character of the Order. 

“ For more than fifty years,” said this Father in 
Israel, “I have been a member of the Order; and 
I am now, as I have ever been, fully convinced of 
the purity, benevolence, and value of its objects and 
pursuits. I have mingled with its labors through 
prosperity and adversity : I know its character, and 
I cheerfully bear my testimony, that the calumnia¬ 
tors of Freemasonry have treated it with gross in¬ 
justice. They have misrepresented its character 
and its labors. They have presented against it 
false accusations, and endeavored to sustain them 
by false testimony.” 

Brother C. W. Moore published, in the 2nd vo¬ 
lume of his magazine, an account, given by the 
Grand Lecturer of Ohio, of two venerable brethren, 
who were living, in 1843, in that State. One of 
these was Capt. Hugh Maloy, at that time ninety- 
three years old. He had been initiated, in 1792, in 
Gen. Washington’s marquee—Washington himself 
presiding, and performing the initiatory ceremonies*. 
The other was J. McLane, then in his one hundred 
and seventh year; the date of his initiation was in 
1762, and he had consequently been a Mason for 


* r # 


188 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


more than four score years. At the age of one hun¬ 
dred and four, he was exalted to the Royal Arch in 
a Chapter at Maysville, Kentucky. Time had not 
decreased the ardency of their affection for the Or¬ 
der with which they had been so long united, nor 
had the experience of age brought them any know¬ 
ledge of evil in it, which could induce them to turn 
from its portals. 


TESTIMONY OF CLERGYMEN. 

Among the enlightened ministers of God we will 
find some of the most zealous defenders, and most 
estimable ornaments of the masonic institution.— 
But clergymen, like other human beings, are obnox¬ 
ious to the influence of prejudice and bigotry, and 
therefore, 'among this class, we must also look for 
some of our most inveterate foes. The opinion, 
however, of a learned, and upright, and pious server 
at the altar, should always carry with it especial 
weight; and I have not, therefore, neglected to col¬ 
lect from some of these pure and intellectual men, 
their openly avowed opinions of what Masonry is. 
Gathering these testimonies, as I have done, from 
all parts of the world, and from all denominations 
of Christians, our opponents, in reading them, must, 
in all honesty, come to the conclusion that Freema¬ 
sonry is not deserving of the slanders which have 
been uttered against it; or, if it is, that these minis¬ 
ters of a gospel of truth have united with the Ma¬ 
sons in perpetuating the mighty imposture, by false¬ 
hoods uttered even in the sacred desk. “Man”— 
says Elder Bernard, the Coryphaeus of anti-masons 
—“ man never invented, hell never devised, wicked 
men and devils never palmed upon the public a 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


189 


more foolish, corrupt, awful, SQul-destroying, and 
heaven-daring scheme, than Speculative Freem-a- 
sonry. It may truly be said to be hell’s master¬ 
piece.” To this burst of anti-masonic oratory, 
worthy of its celebrated author, in all its phases of 
eloquence, and truth, and taste, and refinement, let 
us oppose the following extracts from the sermons 
and writings of eminent divines. 

In an address delivered in 1837 , at Montrose, in 
Scotland, by the Rev. Brother Norval, Chaplain of 
St. Peter’s Lodge in that city, he thus describes the 
objects of a masonic Lodge. 

“A Mason’s Lodge is a school of piety. The 
principal emblems are the teachers. The All-see¬ 
ing Eye teaches the omniprescence of the Deity. 
Its lessons are delightful and awful; delightful, 
while we remember that we are under its guardian 
care; awful, when we forget that to it, darkness is 
as the noon day. It is a school of brotherly love. 
The holy volume expanded, invites us to peruse its 
sacred pages, because in them, and in them only, 
are the words of eternal life.” 

The Rev. Dr. Dalcho, who was at the same time 
the assistant minister of St. Michael’s Church, in 
Charleston, S. C., and the Grand Chaplain of the 
Grand Lodge of South Carolina, a clergyman high¬ 
ly esteemed and respected for the faithful discharge 
of his pastoral duties, thus offers his testimony, 
founded on long experience as a Mason, 

“ I highly venerate the masonic institution, under 
the fullest persuasion, that where its principles are 
acknowledged, and its laws and precepts obeyed, 
it comes nearest to the Christian religion, in its mo- 


190 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


ral effects and influence, of any institution with 
which I am acquainted.” 

The Rev. G. Roberts, Vicar of Monmouth, in En¬ 
gland, in a sermon preached at Newport, declares 
that “ there is no subject existing within the range 
and grasp of the human intellect; be it the most 
subtle and various ; be it high as the heavens above, 
or deep as the earth beneath—no secret of creation 
—into which the science of Freemasonry does not 
enter, in the pursuit of wisdom, knowledge, and 
virtue.” 

The Rev. Dr. Russel, Provincial Grand Chaplain 
for Devonshire, in England, gives his testimony in 
these words: 

“ The precepts of the gospel were universally the 
obligations of Masonry. So far from containing 
aught that is inconsistent with the gospel, the love 
of the brotherhood, the fear of God, and the honor 
of the Queen, are three of the brightest jewels of 
Masonry—three of its richest ornaments—three of 
its first and leading principles.” 

The Rev. Dr. Slade, Provincial Grand Chaplain 
for Staffordshire, England, thus eloquently expa¬ 
tiates on the religious tendency of Freemasonry, in 
a sermon preached in 1841, at Wolverhampton. 

“ Charity, or brotherly kindness, is as much a 
masonic, as it is a Christian virtue. It is professed¬ 
ly the ruling principle of the masonic, as it is of the 
Christian faith. The advent of the Messiah’s king¬ 
dom was announced by angels with this celestial 
chorus—Glory to God on high, peace on earth, good 
will towards man. And the standard of Freema- 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


191 


sonry bears upon its banner, in golden characters, 
the same token of its divine mission. The Gospel 
of Christ, the Epistles of his Apostles, teach one 
faith on this article of a Christian’s creed. The re¬ 
cords and lectures of Masonry, take no other basis 
for instruction and initiation into its mysteries.” 

The Rev. Erastus Burr, Grand Orator of the 
Grand Lodge of Ohio, in an address before that 
body in 1845, has written this pleasing but faithful 
eulogy of our Order. 

# “From its origin to the present hour, in all its vi¬ 
cissitudes, Masonry has been the steady, unvarying- 
friend of man. It has gone forth from age to age, 
-the constant messenger of peace and love—never 
weary—never forgetful of its holy mission—patient¬ 
ly ministering to the relief of want and sorrow, and 
scattering, with unsparing hand, blessings and be¬ 
nefits to all around. It comforts the mourner. It 
speaks peace and consolation to the troubled spirit. 
It carries relief and gladness to the habitations of 
want and destitution. It dries the tears of widow¬ 
hood and orphanage. It opens the sources of know¬ 
ledge. It widens the sphere of human happiness. 
It even seeks to light up the darkness and gloom of 
the grave, by pointing to the hopes and promises of 
a better life to come. All this Masonry has done, 
and is still doing. These are some of its benefits, 
the happy fruits of its benevolent principles. We 
speak of them in no spirit of vain boasting, but to 
wipe off injurious and unjust imputations. And we 
ask with confidence, can a system which inculcates 
such duties, and is productive of such results—du¬ 
ties and results so entirely accordant with the very 
spirit of the gospel, be found, by any possibility, in 
a position of hostility to the gospel ? From every 



192 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


honest and unprejudiced mind, we anticipate a de¬ 
cided negative to this question.” 

I quote the following remarks from an admirable 
sermon,,entitled “ The Consistency of Freemasonry 
with Christianity,” preached at Portsmouth, En¬ 
gland, on July 4th, 1842, by the Rev. T. Tunstall 
Haverfield, B. D., Rector of Coddington, and Chap¬ 
lain in Ordinary to the Duke of Sussex. 

“ It would be presumptuous—I had almost said 
impious—to draw a parallel between any human 
institution, &nd that holy scheme of religious faith 
and practice, whose author is God—whose founder 
is God’s only son. But we may, without being 
guilty of too unholy an intrusion upon sacred things, 
declare to those who are unacquainted with our 
principles, that—in humble obedience to the com¬ 
mands of him whose word is the truth—these prin¬ 
ciples instruct us to do justly , to love mercy , and to 
walk humbly with our God; that they teach us to 
dedicate our lives, and all our actions, to the service 
of the Supreme Being, by giving glory to God in 
the highest, by promoting peace on earth, and dis¬ 
seminating good will among men. We may tell 
them further, that loyalty to our Sovereign, and fide¬ 
lity and obedience to the government of our coun¬ 
try, are also among the foremost characteristics of 
our Order, into which no one is ever admitted, with¬ 
out having these principles duly impressed upon his 
mind; and being solemnly engaged to abide by 
them, and to prove himself in his masonic life, pre¬ 
cisely what Christ enjoined his followers to prove 
themselves in the Christian.” 

The Rev. J. O. Skinner, of Dudley, Mass., in an 
address before the Grafton Lodge, on the 24th of 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


193 


June, 1844, gives his testimony to the value of our 
institution in the following words : 

“The aims of Freemasonry are not limited to 
one form of operation, or one mode of beneficence. 
Its object is at once moral and social. It proposes 
both to cultivate the mind, and enlarge and purify 
the heart. It teaches that ‘ the hand that is raised 
in thanksgiving should be opened in charity.’ It is, 
therefore, in the best sense, an eclectic system, wise¬ 
ly adapted to meet all the constitutional appetencies 
of our complex nature. Its friends claim it to be a 
religious institution, and truly , but not exclusively ? 
they declare that it affords great facilities for intel¬ 
lectual culture, that it has a peculiar disciplinary 
efficacy, but this is not its whole sphere ; and they 
know, from happy experience, it is highly condu¬ 
cive to social refinement and happiness, to the best 
welfare of rational beings. Then it has reference 
to all the constitutional wants of our nature, of 
which, the orator to-day, has spoken so truly and 
eloquently. It unites features too seldom found em¬ 
bodied in the same system. It is framed with a 
nice regard to the Divine Order of the external 
world, in which land and water, earth and sky, 
flowers and fruit, utility and beauty, alternate with 
perpetual attraction. It looks to the symmetry, the 
harmonious development of all the powers and fa¬ 
culties, sentiments and affections, which the Su¬ 
preme Creator has bestowed upon man. It is at 
once severe, and liberal in its policy. It is adapt¬ 
ed, not to foster bigotry and sectarian zeal, but to 
enlarge the reason, to expand the sympathies, and 
to promote that charity which is the proper essence 
and basis of all virtue, the pervading spirit of all. 
true nobleness, gentleness, and dignity.” 

17 


194 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


In 1798, at the period when, by the efforts of such 
men as Barruel and Robison, Freemasonry was in 
England beginning, for a season, to be confounded 
with the Illuminism and infidel philosophy of France 
and Germany, the Rev. Richard Munkhouse, D. D., 
of Queen’s College, Oxford, gave the following tes¬ 
timony to the purity of our institution, in an ad¬ 
dress which he delivered before Unanimity Lodge 
No. 202, at Wakefield, England. 

“ Whatever corruptions, religious, moral, or poli¬ 
tical, may (either upon the continent of Europe, or 
elsewhere,) have taken shelter under the hallowed 
appellation of Freemasonry, it does not concern me 
to inquire in this place. I will even admit, that 
amongst a people who have impiously revolted from 
the most sacred obligations and professions, this ho¬ 
norable institution may have been perverted and 
abused to the worst of purposes. But I must repel 
the preposterous insinuation that involves, in one 
comprehensive and indiscriminate censure, the pro¬ 
ceedings in our Lodges, with those in which it is 
asserted that men, calling themselves Masons, have 
deviated from the avowed spirit and integrity of the 
Order. No; than the true brethren of the craft, 
there are not, I maintain, any descriptions of their 
fellow subjects, who more readily, more consistent¬ 
ly, more conscientiously discharge their several du¬ 
ties as men, Masons, and Christians. And in briefly 
bearing this testimony to the brotherhood at large, 
but most especially as existing in this country, I 
presume to the full extent of my own observation to 
add— 4 1 speak that I do know, and testify that I 
have seen.’ ” 

In a sermon preached at Gravesend, England, 
on St. John the Baptist’s Day, 1793, the Rev. Je- 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


195 


thro Inwood, Provincial Grand Chaplain for the 
county of Kent, made use of the following language. 

. “ The institution of Masonry, so far from giving 
birth or growth to the commission of any thing in¬ 
consistent with the strictest part of our holy religion, 
whether respecting our duty to God or man, has a 
direct tendency to enforce and encourage the per¬ 
formance of every one of its holy precepts and 
in making this assertion, he says that he claims to 
be believed, “ as one who dared not speak falsely 
before the awful presence of Almighty God.” 

The Rev. Mr. Dodd, a celebrated clergyman of 
' the Church of England—celebrated for his talents 
and for his misfortunes, bestows this noble enco¬ 
mium on Masonry: 

“Freemasonry is a singularly amiable institu¬ 
tion, which annihilates all parties, conciliates all 
private opinions, and renders those, who, by their 
Almighty Father, were made of one blood, to be 
also of one heart, and one mind; brethren bound, 
firmly bound together by that indissoluble tie—the 
love of their God, and the love of their kind.” 

There may be those who will sneer at the opinion 
of a man, whose life was paid as a forfeit to the of¬ 
fended laws of his country ; but these we would 
remind of the assertion of that great moralist, Dr. 
Johnson, that the crime of Dr. Dodd, “ morally or 
religiously considered, had no very deep dye of tur¬ 
pitude. It corrupted no man’s principles; it at¬ 
tacked no man’s life. It involved only a temporary 
and reparable injury.” His death afforded triumph 
to no enemy, but regret to many friends ; and his 
life was, except in one instance, such a pattern of 
virtue, as to give us no right to depreciate the value 




196 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


of his testimony in favor of an institution, of which 
he was himself no unworthy member. 

The Right Rev. Dr. Griswold, the learned and 
pious Protestant Bishop of Massachusetts, was a 
Mason—not a cold and nominal, but a zealous and 
practical one. In an interesting work, entitled 
“Stray Leaves from a Freemason’s Note Book,” 
the testimony of the Bishop, in favor of our Order, 
is given as follows. During the anti-masonic ex¬ 
citement, a wealthy layman called upon the Bishop, 
with several insinuations against the character of a 
clergyman, summing up his list of accusations by 
stating, as he supposed, to the diocesan’s horror, 
that his presbyter was a Mason. “ A Mason is he ? 
I am one myself,” replied Dr. Griswold; “ I wish 
all my clergy were Masons; I wish they all be¬ 
longed to the craft; provided they would act up to 
its obligations, and fulfil its engagements.” 

To this testimony of an eminent American pre¬ 
late, may appropriately be subjoined that of the 
Right Rev. Dr. Horseley, Bishop of Rochester, a 
distinguished member of the English hierarchy. In 
June, 1799, when, in consequence of the fears en¬ 
tertained by government, of the Jacobin clubs, the 
British Parliament was about to pass a law for the 
suppression of secret societies, on the discussion of 
the bill, several noblemen in the House of Lords 
publicly defended the character and designs of the 
masonic Lodges. Among them, the Bishop of Ro¬ 
chester arose, and acknowledging himself to be a 
Freemason, with his hand on his heart, declared, 
“that versed in the craft and mystery of the frater¬ 
nity, he agreed fully with all that had been said. 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


197 


with respect to the purity of the institution as con¬ 
ducted in this country, and the charitable purposes 
which it tended to promote; that there existed no¬ 
thing in the principles on which the societies of Ma¬ 
sons were constituted, or in their practices that was 
in the smallest degree contrary to religion, to loyal¬ 
ty, to patriotism, or to the strenuous support of the 
government under which they flourished; that the 
innocence of the institution was unquestionable, and 
the objects which it embraced were of the most 
laudable nature.” 

It was testimonies like this, given by the most 
distinguished British legislators, that induced Par¬ 
liament to give to Freemasonry the sanction of pro¬ 
tecting clauses, in the law which prohibited the 
meeting of secret societies. 

Of innumerable passages in the writings of the 
Rev. Dr. Oliver, which embody his opinions of 
Freemasonry, I shall present but one. The difficulty 
ty here is not to find, but to select, an encomium. His 
whole life, devoted as it has been to the illustration 
of our Order, is one untiring eulogium. No man has 
written more, or written better for Masonry, than 
this great apostle of its mysteries. No man’s labors 
have been more useful to the institution, no man’s 
virtues have been more creditable to its character. 

“ The study of Freemasonry,” says he, “ is the 
study of man for a blessed eternity. It furnishes 
examples of holy living, and displays the conduct 
which is pleasing and acceptable to God. The 
doctrine and examples which distinguish the Order 
are obvious, and suited to every capacity. It is im¬ 
possible for the most fastidious Mason to misunder¬ 
stand, however he may slight or neglect them. It 
is impossible for the most superficial brother to say, 
17* 


198 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


that he is unable to comprehend the plain precepts 
and the unanswerable arguments which are fur¬ 
nished by Freemasonry.”* 

«. 

The Rev. Thaddeus Mason Harris, of Massachu¬ 
setts, was another indefatigable laborer in the vine¬ 
yard of Masonry. Of .this eminently learned and 
pious man and Mason, it has been justly said, that 
“ he brought the energy of his gifted mind—the pa¬ 
tronage of his immaculate reputation—and the 
weight of his personal character, as a willing offer¬ 
ing to the altar of Freemasonry.”! One of his testi¬ 
monials to the genius of our institution is here pre¬ 
sented to the reader, extracted from an address de¬ 
livered at the consecration of Olive Branch Lodge 
at Oxford, Mass., in 1798 ; and let it be remem¬ 
bered, that for nearly half a century afterwards, Dr. 
Harris continued to cherish these favorable opinions 
of the Order—maintaining his allegiance to it with 
unshaken firmness, through all the trying exigencies 
of the anti-masonic excitement, and dying in 1842, 
at the ripe age of seventy-four, a faithful officer of 
the charity fund of the Grand Lodge of Massachu¬ 
setts. The opinions advanced in the maturity of 
his manhood, were confirmed and strengthened by 
the long experience of his advancing years. That 
opinion is in these words : 

“Freemasonry inspires its members with the most 
exalted ideas of God, and leads to the exercise of 
the most pure and sublime piety. A reverence for 
the Supreme Being, the Grand Architect of nature, 
is the elemental life, the primordial source of all its 
principles, the very spring and fountain of all its 
virtues. 


* Landmarks, vol. i. p. 266. t Huntoon’s Eulogy on Dr. Hands, 1842. 



THE MYSTIC TIE. 


199 


“ It interests us also in the duties and engage¬ 
ments of humanity; produces an affectionate con¬ 
cern for the welfare of all around us ; and, raising 
us superior to every selfish view, or party preju¬ 
dice, fills the heart with an unlimited good will to 
man. 

“ All its plans are pacific. It co-operates with 
our blessed religion in regulating the tempers, re¬ 
straining the passions, sweetening the dispositions, 
and harmonizing the discordant interests of men; 
breathes a spirit of universal love and benevolence ; 
adds one thread more to the silken cord of evange¬ 
lical charity which binds man toman; and seeks 
to entwine the cardinal virtues and the Christian 
graces in the web of the affections, and the drapery 
of the conduct. In its bosom flows cheerily the 
milk of human kindness ; and its heart expands 
with love and good will. It wears ‘ the ornament 
of a meek and quiet spirit.’ In one hand it holds 
out the olive branch of peace; and in the other, the 
liberal donation of charity.” 

With this “ voice from the grave,” I close these 
testimonies of the ministers of peace—not because 
others might not in abundance have been supplied, 
for Masonry has found its firmest supporters in 
the preachers of truth and righteousness, but be¬ 
cause, if these memorials of their good opinion are 
not sufficient to answer the objections urged by our 
opponents, as to the unchristian character of our in¬ 
stitution, then surely “ they would not believe, were 
one to rise from the dead.” 


200 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


THE TESTIMONY OF OUR ENEMIES. 

“ Fas est ab hoste doceri.” 

The enemies of Masonry are not always consist¬ 
ent in their opposition. Sometimes they grow weary 
of denunciation, and assume the more delightful 
labor of commendation. That institution cannot be 
wholly Worthless, which can soften the vindictive¬ 
ness, and paralyze the inveteracy of hatred.. The 
praise thus extorted from a foe is valuable, because 
it is the unwilling tribute of prejudice to truth, and 
the Mason can feel no. “ compunctious visitings of 
conscience,” when he uses, for his own defence, the 
shield that has been furnished by his antagonist. 

One of the most bitter enemies of Masonry was 
the Abbe Barruel, who, towards the end of the last 
century, published his Memoirs of Jacobinism,* 
in which be endeavored to prove that Freemasonry 
was engaged in a conspiracy to destroy the church 
and state, and to effect a subversion of all social 
order. In his attempts to establish this position, the 
Abbe has distinguished himself for the effrontery 
with which he makes the most unfounded misrepre¬ 
sentations, and the malignity with which he ad¬ 
vances his accusations. Truth, however, even in 
such a mind, must sometimes prevail; and Barruel 
is compelled, by its influence, to do justice, in the 
midst of his denunciations, to the character of En¬ 
glish Masonry. 

“ England in particular,” he says, “ is full of those 
upright men, who, excellent citizens, and of all sta¬ 
tions, are proud of being Masons ; and who may 
be distinguished from the others, by ties which only 
appear to unite them more closely in the bonds of 


* Memoires pour servir k l’histoire du Jacobinisme. 




THE MYSTIC TIE. 


201 


charity and fraternal affection. It is not the fear of 
offending a nation in which I have found an asylum, 
that has suggested this exception. Gratitude, on 
the contrary, would silence every vain terror; and 
I should be seen exclaiming in the very streets of 
London, that England was lost; that it could not 
escape the French revolution, if its Freemasons’ 
Lodges were similar to those of which I am about 
to treat. I would say more, that Christianity and 
all government would have long been at an end in 
England, if it could be even supposed that her Ma¬ 
sons were initiated into the last mysteries of the 
sect. Long since have their Lodges been sufficient¬ 
ly numerous, to execute such a design, had the En¬ 
glish Masons adopted either the means, or the plans 
and plots of the occult Lodges. 

“ This argument, alone, might suffice to except 
the English Masons, in general, from what I have 
to say of the sect. But there exist many passages 
in the history of Masonry, which compel the excep¬ 
tion. The following appears convincing: At the 
time when the Illuminati of Germany, the most de¬ 
testable of the Jacobin crew, were seeking to 
strengthen their party by that of Masonry, they af¬ 
fected a sovereign contempt for the English Lodges.” 

The truth is, Barruel was prejudiced against repub¬ 
licanism, and confounding the secret political societies 
of France and Germany with the masonic Lodges, he 
applied to the latter all the charges and invectives, 
which a more discriminating writer would have re¬ 
served for the former. 

Professor Robison, of Edinburgh, like Barruel, 
was an industrious enemy of our Order; and be¬ 
lieving, or asserting, that Freemasonry was a politi¬ 
cal society, used for the purpose of overturning 


202 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


church and state, he published an octavo volume 
under the title of “ Proofs of a Conspiracy against 
the Religions and Governments of Europe, carried 
on in the Secret Meetings of the Freemasons, Illu¬ 
minati, &c.,” to induce its readers to entertain the 
same opinion. Like Barruel, too, he confounded 
the Illuminism and Jacobinism of the Continent 
with Freemasonry ; and after wasting his arguments 
on associations which our Order never recognized, 
he was compelled to subscribe to the purity and in¬ 
tegrity of the only real masonic Lodges with which 
he had any acquaintance. 

“ While,” says he, “ the Freemasonry of the Con¬ 
tinent was tricked up with all the frippery of stars 
and ribbons, or was perverted to the most profligate 
and impious purposes, and the Lodges became se¬ 
minaries of foppery, of sedition, and impiety, it has 
retained in Britain its original form, simple and un¬ 
adorned,—and the Lodges have remained the scenes 
of innocent. merriment, or meetings of charity and 
beneficence.” 

It is really a matter of some surprise that both 
Barruel and Robison, men of learning, and profess¬ 
ing to be dialecticians, should have fallen into the 
common error of contracted intellects, and argued 
against the use of Masonry from its abuse. If the 
Lodges of Britain preserved, as they say, the origi¬ 
nal form and design of Freemasonry—and if,, ac¬ 
cording to the former, they were only associations, 
united “ more closely in the bonds of charity and 
fraternal affection,” and according to the latter, they 
were “ meetings of charity and beneficence”—and 
if, according to both, the societies of the Continent, 
(which, however, they were wrong in confounding 
with the Order,) were but perversions of the insti¬ 
tution—then their whole argument amounts only to 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


203 

this, that Freemasonry pure, unadulterated, un¬ 
mixed, is a charitable, and, at least, an inoffensive 
institution, while it is its perversions only that are 
objectionable. This is a truism which no Mason 
will take the trouble of denying, for it may be pre¬ 
dicated of every other institution that the world has 
ever seen. The perversion of liberty is anarchy— 
that of faith, is bigotry—and religion, holy as it is 
m its purity, and essential as it is to our happiness 
and well being, may be perverted in weak and en¬ 
thusiastic minds to purposes of folly and supersti¬ 
tion. The spirit of liberty engendered the terrors 
of the French revolution—the divine impulses of 
philanthropy have produced agrarianism and social¬ 
ism—and the pure genius of Christianity has given 
birth to such monsters as Millerism and Mormonism. 
So that, granting all that Barruel and Robison de¬ 
mand, their own admissions only place Freemason¬ 
ry in the common category of all other human insti¬ 
tutions. But the truth is, that they both wrote in 
ignorance of their subject; and in confounding, as 
I have already said, the secret political societies of 
France and Germany with the masonic Lodges, 
they committed the egregious error of supposing that 
the latter were guilty of all the evils which they at¬ 
tributed, we will not enquire how truly, to the former. 

William Wirt, once Attorney General of the Uni¬ 
ted States, was an Entered Apprentice. He had, 
however, for thirty years, paid no attention to the in¬ 
stitution,—and in 1831 renounced it, when he was 
nominated for the Presidency by the anti-masonic 
convention at Baltimore. In his letter accepting of 
that nomination, he goes very diffusively into his 
views of the institution, and has made admissions 
enough, considering the excited times in which he 


204 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


wrote, and the powerful motives for prejudice, by 
which as a candidate for office he was influenced, 
to entitle his opinions to a place in the pages of a 
work dedicated to the defence of Masonry. He ex¬ 
presses himself as follows: 

“ I have been told by Masons that my eyes were 
never opened, because I never took the Master’s de¬ 
gree ; but my curiosity never led me thus far—and 
although I soon discontinued my attendance on 
Lodges, (not having entered one even from curiosity 
for more than thirty years, I believe,) it proceeded 
from no suspicion, on my part, that there was any 
thing criminal in the institution, or any thing that 
placed its members, in the slightest degree, in colli¬ 
sion with their allegiance to their country and its 
laws. On the contrary, having been, before my 
initiation, assured by a gentleman, in whom I had 
implicit confidence, that there was nothing in the 
engagement which could affect either my religion 
or politics, (which I considered as comprehending 
the whole range of my duties, civil and religious, 
and as extending not to the first degree only, but to 
the whole masonic order;) and being further in¬ 
formed, that many of the most illustrious men of 
Virginia, with Gen. Washington at their head, be¬ 
longed to that Order, and had taken the degree of 
Master, I did not believe that there could be any 
thing in the institution at war with their duties as 
patriots, men, and Christians; nor is it yet possible 
for me to believe that they could have understood the 
engagement as involving any such criminal obligations. 
I have, thenceforward, continually regarded Mason¬ 
ry as nothing more than a social and charitable 
club, designed for the promotion of good feeling 
among its members, and for the pecuniary relief of 
their indigent brethren. ****** Think- 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


205 


ing thus of it, nothing has more surprised me, than 
to see it blown into consequence in the northern and 
eastern States as a political engine, and the whole 
community excited against it as an affair of serious 
importance. I had heard, indeed, the general ru¬ 
mor, that Morgan had been kidnapped, and proba¬ 
bly murdered, by Masons, for divulging their se¬ 
crets ; but I supposed it to be the act of a few igno¬ 
rant and ferocious desperadoes, moved by their own 
impulse singly, and without the sanction of their 
Lodges.” 

He then proceeds to confess that this last opinion 
has been changed, by the representations of a mem¬ 
ber of the anti-masonic convention, who, by the aid 
of reports of the Morgan trials, (which were drawn 
up by anti-masons,) had convinced him that the 
“ conspiracy against Morgan was not the act of a 
few ignorant men, alone, but was engendered in the 
Lodges themselves, enforced under their direction, 
and supported at their expense embracing men of 
all professions, and extending even to the pollution 
of the temples of justice. 

Notwithstanding, however, the high and impartial 
authority by which he had been led to this conclu¬ 
sion, Mr. Wirt concludes his letter with this all suf¬ 
ficient admission: 

“But, gentlemen, this was not, and could not 
be Masonry, as understood by Washington. The 
thing is impossible. The suspicion would be par¬ 
ricide. Nor can 1 believe that in the quarter of the 
Union with which I am best acquainted, intelligent 
men of high and honorable character, if they have 
been drawn in, to take these shocking and impious 
oaths, can consider them as paramount to their du¬ 
ties to their God and their country.” 

18 


206 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


Governor Lincoln, of Massachusetts, an avowed 
enemy of Freemasonry, and, to use his own lan¬ 
guage, “ sincerely and earnestly desiring the disso¬ 
lution and extinction of the institution,” made in 
1831 the following admission, in a letter to the anti- 
masonic convention of Massachusetts. 

“ It were indeed monstrous to doubt, that among 
Masons, there are loyal citizens and true hearted pa¬ 
triots, who, although adhering to the craft, bear yet 
greater love to their country, to whom the mystic 
tie never suggested the possible violation of a moral 
principle, and who would not recognize an obligation 
inconsistent with the performance of every social 
and civil duty.” 

During the anti-masonic excitement in New-York, 
the Senate of that State appointed a committee of 
investigation, consisting entirely of anrt-masons, 
from whose report I make the following singularly 
inconsistent extract. 

“ That there are virtuous and excellent men who 
belong to the institution, can be doubted by none of 
us, who look around upon the circle of our relatives, 
friends, and acquaintances. How this fact is com¬ 
patible with the opinion we maintain of the institu¬ 
tion, neither time, nor the occasion, will permit us to 
explain.” 

The committee were in some embarrassment to 
reconcile the inconsistency involved, in admitting 
that there might be, and were, virtuous members of 
a vicious institution, and they very sagaciously de¬ 
clined giving any explanation of so palpable an ab¬ 
surdity. 

The enemies of Freemasonry have sometimes 
gone still further, and after all their vituperations of 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


207 


the “ royal art and mystery,” have ended in a re¬ 
cantation, and sought admission into the society. 
The history of Masonry furnishes sometimes such 
instances, where the parable of the prodigal son 
has been repeated. 

In the year 1796, one Cadet de Gassicourt pub¬ 
lished a work at Paris, entitled “ Le Tombeau de 
Jacques Molay,” in which, embracing all the er¬ 
rors of Barruel and Robison, he made the same 
charges of atheism and conspiracy against the fra¬ 
ternity ; and loaded the Chevalier Ramsay, the in¬ 
ventor of some of the high degrees, with the most 
vehement indignation as a libertine and traitor.— 
But de Gassicourt subsequently acknowledged his 
folly in writing against a society, of which he really 
knew nothing. In fact, in 1805, he solicited admis¬ 
sion into the Order, and was initiated in the 
Lodge “PAbeille,” at Paris, where, in the various 
offices of Orator and Master, which he filled, he 
taught and recommended that institution which he 
had once abused; and even on a public occasion 
pronounced the eulogy of that Ramsay, whom he 
had formerly anathematized.* 

A somewhat similar recantation has lately oc¬ 
curred in this country; and as the circumstances, 
(for which I am indebted to an esteemed corres¬ 
pondent,) are interesting, I shall conclude with them, 
this collection of the testimonies of the enemies of 
Masonry, leaving, however, the names of the par¬ 
ties and place in blank for the sake of delicacy, and 
because I have received no authority from my in¬ 
formant for their publication. 

In the days of anti-masonry, a Mr. -, who 

was a member of a masonic Lodge in -, a 


Clay el, Histoire Pittoresque dela Franc-Ma<jonnerie, p. 157. 





208 THE MYSTIC TIE. 

town in one of the New-England States, became a 
political anti-mason, and signed one of the usual 
circulars abusive of Masonry, which had been pre¬ 
pared by several seceders, and which in those times 
were 

“ Thick as leaves in Vallambrosa.” 

Some years afterwards, while travelling in the far 
west, Mr. - was taken sick at a remote vil¬ 

lage, and among strangers. A physician was called, 
and he, while compounding his remedies at the bed¬ 
side of his patient, made such allusions as were 
readily understood, and they both speedily recog¬ 
nized each other as Masons. The consequence of 
this was, that the Masons of the village learning 
from the physician that a brother, (with whose 
aberration of course they were unacquainted,) was 
among them, sick and a stranger, flocked around 
him, and paid him the most unremitting attention 
and kindness. 

Mr.-in time recovered, and returned home, 

deeply affected with the kindness which had been 
shown to him by the fraternity. He related the 
circumstances, and wrote a letter to the Lodge of 
the town in which he dwelt, expressive of his sin¬ 
cere penitence, and imploring forgiveness. The 
letter was referred to the Grand Lodge of the State, 

which directed an enquiry, and Mr.-being a 

respectable man, he was restored to Masonry by 
order of the Grand Lodge, and was, a short time 
since admitted, upon his recantation of his errors, a 
member of the Lodge to which he had applied. 





THE MYSTIC TIE. 


209 


THE ANTIQUITY OF FREEMASONRY. 


“ L’origine de la Maconnerie se perd, comme tant d’autres, dans 
l’obscurite des temps .”—La Lande. 


In closing this defence of Freemasonry, it only 
remains that I should say something of the anti¬ 
quity of the society. I do not intend to enter at 
large into an enquiry into its history, from its orga¬ 
nization to the present day. This is a labor of too 
extensive a character, and accompanied by too 
much profound research, to be confined to the conclu¬ 
ding pages of a work, intended for popular use. But 
it is proper that so much should be said of the rise, 
and the progress of the institution, as will show its 
true origin, and be an answer to those illiberal an¬ 
tagonists, who suppose it to be a mere modem in¬ 
vention, taking its birth in 1717, at the Appletree 
Tavern in London. It must, however, be remem¬ 
bered, that whatever be the origin of Freemasonry 
as a distinct organization—whether it be the pro¬ 
duction of to-day, yesterday, an hundred, or a thou¬ 
sand years since—the date of its existence has but 
little to do with the true merits of the institution, al¬ 
though it is not to be denied that antiquity will give 
it an additional claim to our respect; while there 
will be strong presumption of excellence in the fact, 
that it has withstood the wear and tear of ages, 
and, to adopt the language applied by Johnson to 
the writings of Shakspears, that time, while it has 
been washing away the dissoluble fabrics of all 
other societies, has passed by the adamant of Free¬ 
masonry without injury. 

The principles of Truth, and Love, and Charity, 
which constitute the groundwork and design of Free- 
18* 


210 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


masonry, were of course coeval with the creation ; 
and this is all that can be meant, when the birth of 
Masonry is dated from that era. Those great prin¬ 
ciples taught by the patriarchs, have been preserved 
in the dogmas and doctrines of the institution; and 
in this view, our writers have claimed a legitimate 
descent for the Speculative Freemasonry of the 
present day from the Primitive Freemasonry, as it 
has been called, of the antediluvian world, and of 
Noah and his immediate descendants. 

Dr. Oliver,* in describing the character of this 
Primitive Freemasonry, says that “it included a 
code of simple morals. It assured men that they 
who did well, would be approved of God ; and if 
they followed evil courses, sin would be imputed to 
them, and they would thus become subject to pun¬ 
ishment. It detailed the reasons why the seventh 
day was consecrated and set apart as a sabbath, or 
day of rest; and showed why the bitter conse¬ 
quences of sin were visited upon our first parents, 
as a practical lesson that it ought to be avoided. 
But the great object of this Primitive Freemasonry 
was to preserve and cherish the promise of a Re¬ 
deemer, who should provide a remedy for the evil 
that their transgression had introduced into the 
world, when the appointed time should come.” 

The degeneration of this Primitive Freemasonry 
is to be found in the Mysteries ot Paganism ; and it 
may afford some gratification to trace the connexion 
between the True Freemasonry of the Patriarchs, 
the Spurious Freemasonryt of the Pagan Philoso¬ 
phers and Priesthood, and the Speculative Freema¬ 
sonry of our own times. The subject, however, 

* Historical Landmarks, vol. 1, p. 61. 

t This is the name given to this branch of our science by modern ma¬ 
sonic writers. 



THE MYSTIC TIE. 


211 


must be here treated briefly ; to discuss it, as its im¬ 
portance requires, would demand the space of a se¬ 
parate volume, and the leisure of a distinct study. 

Man was originally endowed with a perfect 
knowledge of the name and the character of the 
true God. But he did not long remain in pos¬ 
session of this information. When he became ac¬ 
quainted with the nature of evil, he lost his purity, and 
with it a great share of his celestial wisdom. And at 
length the whole world having become entirely cor¬ 
rupt, God determined by a great cataclysm to purge 
the earth of the evil that encumbered it. Noah, 
however, he exempted from the suffering of this 
heavy penalty ; and to this patriarch and his poste¬ 
rity was to be entrusted, for future preservation, 
those great truths which had been lost by his ante¬ 
diluvian ancestors. These truths consisted in a 
knowledge of one Supreme God, and the immorta¬ 
lity of the soul. A portion of the descendants of 
Noah continued to preserve these dogmas, and tradi¬ 
tionally to hand them down to their descendants in 
the patriarchal line. This constitutes what has 
been called Noachite Freemasonry.* Subsequent¬ 
ly, on the plain of Shinar, men again rebelled, and 
the great separation of families and confusion of 
tongues ensued, as the penalty of that rebellion. 
One portion of the descendants of Noah, however,— 
the Patriarchs,—still preserved the true knowledge 
of God, and propagated to their children the pre¬ 
cepts of Freemasonry. This constituted what may 
be called Pure or Patriarchal Freemasonry. The 
Gentile nations, on the contrary, fell rapidly from 
one error into another; and soon losing sight of the 


* The ineffable degree of Pati’iarch Noachite embodies many tradi* 
tions which relate to this period. 



212 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


unity of God, substituted for the one Supreme Being 
a multitude of deities, or mythological personations 
of heroes whom they had apotheosized. But the 
philosophers still retained, by the aid of the dim 
recollections of tradition, or the faint light of na¬ 
ture, some traces of the Noachite precepts, yet 
dared not publicly to impugn the orthodoxy of the 
vulgar polytheism, or to shock the common prejudi¬ 
ces against the immortality of the soul. The read¬ 
er will recollect the fate of Socratejs, who suffered 
death for his heresy in proclaiming these truths to 
the Athenian youth. 

They therefore taught in secret, what they were 
too timid to inculcate openly. For this purpose 
they invented the ancient Mysteries, in which these 
doctrines were taught only to the initiated ; in which 
they were illustrated by symbols, and preserved by 
legends and traditions, whose esoteric or hidden 
meaning, differed very materially from that which 
it was generally supposed to be. These Mysteries 
were all religious institutions, but they were ma¬ 
sonic also. Their members were initiated by a so¬ 
lemn ceremonial; they had various progressive de¬ 
grees, in which the light and truth were gradually 
diffused; and the recipients were in possession of 
certain modes of recognition, known only to them¬ 
selves. The Mysteries constituted what has been 
called, by masonic writers, the Spurious Freema¬ 
sonry of Paganism. They differed indeed in dif¬ 
ferent countries—not in the dogmas which they 
taught—but in the legend with which they connect¬ 
ed these dogmas. This legend, however, conti¬ 
nued in every instance to be a sort of dramatic re¬ 
presentation of the violent death, and subsequent 
restoration to life, of some distinguished personage, 
by which was typified the dogmas of the resurrec- 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


213 


tion and of the immortality of the soul. In Egypt, 
for instance, we find the Mysteries of Osiris; in Sa- 
mothrace, those of the Cabiri; in Syria, those of 
Adonis; and in Greece, those of Ceres. 

Among these Mysteries were those of Dionysius, 
or Bacchus, which were instituted and practised 
more than a thousand years before the Christian era, 
by the priests of that deity. One of the peculiari¬ 
ties of the initiates of these Mysteries was, that they 
combined with their religious and philosophical cha¬ 
racter, the study and practice of architecture. Thus 
we learn, from contemporary historians, that there 
existed in Asia Minor, at the time of the building 
of King Solomon’s Temple, a society called the Dio¬ 
nysian Artificers, who were extensively engaged in 
Operative Masonry ; and which society was distin¬ 
guished by many peculiarities that closely assimila¬ 
ted it to the Speculative Freemasonry of the present 
day. Among these was the division into Lodges, 
each governed by its own officers—the use of cere¬ 
monies in which symbolical instruction was com¬ 
municated by means of the implements of opera¬ 
tive masonry—the practice of an emblematic mode 
of initiation—the existence of an important legend, 
whose true meaning was known only to the perfectly 
initiated—and the adoption of a secret system of 
recognition among the brethren. Of this society, all 
the architects of the East were members; and 
among them, it is to be presumed, were the work¬ 
men sent by Hiram, King of Tyre, to assist King 
Solomon in building the Temple at Jerusalem.— 
These men, under the superintendence of that “ son 
of a widow of the tribe of Napthali,” whom Hiram 
also sent to Solomon as “ a curious and cunning 
workman,” communicated to their Jewish fellow la¬ 
borers, a knowledge of the advantages of their fra- 


214 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


ternity, and invited them to a participation in its 
mysteries and privileges. From this union arose 
that sublime and perfect organization of the work¬ 
men at the Temple, which enabled them, in the 
short space of seven years, to construct so magnifi¬ 
cent an edifice. One important emendation, how¬ 
ever, was made upon the system; for the apocry¬ 
phal legend of the Dionysians, which related to the 
murder of Bacchus by the Titans, was substituted 
a true one, which now forms the legend of the third 
degree, and which was unhappily furnished by an 
incident which occurred at the time. 

Here then we may trace the origin of Freema¬ 
sonry as a mysterious institution, combining the 
operative practice of architecture with speculative 
principles of morality. It has since been, of course, 
from time to time subject to various modifications; 
but at the building of the Temple of King Solomon 
we must look for the germ—the “ fons et origo” of 
that institution, which we can trace from that time 
to this, through unbroken links of historic evidence. 

At the completion of the Temple the workmen 
separated, and dispersed in search of new employ¬ 
ments, but a portion of them remained in Palestine. 
There they have been traced in the Kassideans, 
or Assideans, called in the Book of Maccabees 
“ mighty men of Israel, such as were voluntarily 
devoted to the law.” These constituted a pious and 
charitable fraternity, who consecrated themselves 
to the occupation of repairing the Temple and 
keeping it in order; for which purpose, they volun¬ 
tarily paid a tribute over and above that which was 
obligatory upon every Jew. Lawrie contends for 
their relationship to the builders of the Temple, and 
accordingly calls them, after Scaliger, “ Knights of 
the Temple of Jerusalem.” 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


215 


The Kassideans, according to Scaliger, were the 
progenitors of the Essenians ; a sect whom masonic 
writers have not hesitated to identify with the de¬ 
scendants of the Operative and Speculative Ma¬ 
sons of the Temple. The numerous coincidences 
between the customs and the ceremonies of the Es¬ 
senians, and those which are peculiar to the ma¬ 
sonic fraternity, have attracted the attention of 
many writers. I have not time to enter into the de¬ 
tails of these customs and ceremonies. Philo of 
Alexandria has given a copious account of them; 
and Basnage, in his History of the Jews, says that 
the mysteries of the Essenes were the same as 
those of the Dionysians. I may observe, how¬ 
ever, in passing, that they were divided into two 
classes—Speculatives, and Operatives. We have 
a right then to infer that the union between the Sy¬ 
rian and Jewish artificers, which was commenced 
at the building of the Temple, was subsequently 
continued in the Kassideans and the Essenians. 

Pythagoras is said to have derived much of his 
learning from the Essenians, and some masonic wri¬ 
ters have attributed to this sage the introduction and 
propagation of Freemasonry into Europe. Lawrie 
says that “the institution of Pythagoras at Crotona, 
was connected with the Essenian and Masonic fra¬ 
ternities.” Leland’s manuscript, said to have been 
written in the reign of Henry VI. of England, ex¬ 
pressly states that Pythagoras, having acquired Ma¬ 
sonry in Phoenicia, formed a Lodge at Crotona, and 
initiated his disciples, many of whom travelled af¬ 
terwards into France and England. But I shall not 
press this point, as the authenticity of this manu¬ 
script has been lately questioned by Mr. Halliwell. 
It however shews undeniably that at an early pe- 



216 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


riod, there were traditions among the Masons, of the 
connexion of Pythagoras with their order. 

Leaving then this point unsettled, there is still 
reason enough to believe that Masonry was perpe¬ 
tuated in the East by the Dionysians and the Es- 
senians ; and we may attribute the extension of the 
institution in Europe to the frequent communications 
with Palestine in the first ages of the Christian dis¬ 
pensation. At an early period, we shall find asso¬ 
ciations of travelling architects existing in all the 
countries of the Continent, journeying from cit} r to 
city, and erecting cathedrals, monasteries, and other 
religious edifices, under the express name of “ Tra¬ 
velling Freemasons.” Clavel traces these associa¬ 
tions to the “ Collegia Artificum” established by 
Numa; but these organizations of Numa were de¬ 
rived from the East, and were closely connected 
with the Dionysians, the founders of Temple Ma¬ 
sonry. These associations of travelling Freema¬ 
sons, of whom I have already spoken in another 
part of this work, continued to increase in power, 
in extent, and in reputation, until in the sixteenth 
century they became, what they have ever since re¬ 
mained, objects of jealousy to the pontifical autho¬ 
rity. In a few despotic portions of Europe they 
then ceased publicly to be acknowledged; but hav¬ 
ing by degrees changed their operative and specula¬ 
tive character to one purely speculative, they conti¬ 
nue to exist under the name of the “ Ancient and 
Honorable Fraternity of Freemasons,” a society, 
whose character it has been the object of this work 
to defend. 

Because a few of the Lodges of London met to¬ 
gether, in 1717, at the Apple Tree Tavern in West¬ 
minster, for the purpose, as they themselves ex¬ 
pressed it, of “ cementing under a new Grand Mas- 


the mystic tie. 


217 


ter, as the centre of union and harmony,” some ig¬ 
norant opponents of Masonry have sneeringly pro¬ 
nounced this to have been the time and place of the 
birth of Freemasonry. It might be enough to sug¬ 
gest, that the fact of there being Lodges so to meet 
and deliberate, would furnish a presumption that 
those Lodges must have previously existed; but 
there is no want of most ample evidence that Free¬ 
masonry existed under this name and organization, 
not only in England and Scotland, but on the conti¬ 
nent of Europe, centuries before. To say nothing of 
Nicholas Stone’s manuscript, which speaks of St. Al¬ 
ban as obtaining a charter for them in the third cen¬ 
tury of the Christian era, we have a record of the 
General Assembly of the English Masons at York, 
in 926, when Prince Edwin was chosen Grand 
Master; from which time the English Masons con¬ 
tinued as one body until the year 1567, when those 
of the southern part of the island seceded, and 
elected Sir Thomas Gresham their Grand Master. 
From that time there continued to be two Grand 
Masters in England ; one for the north, and the other 
for the south. In the beginning of the eighteenth 
century, the craft fell into decay in the southern 
part of the island—and it was to revive it, not to 
form a new and hitherto unknown institution, that 
the meeting of the Lodges was held, in 1717, at the 
Appletree Tavern in London. 

Freemasonry was introduced into Scotland in 
1140, by the architects who built the abbey of Kil- 
willing. Lawrie says that this is manifest, not only 
from those authentic documents, which relate to the 
existence of the Kilwinning Lodge, but from other 
collateral arguments, which amount almost to a de¬ 
monstration.* 


19 * 


History of Freemasonry, p. 89. 






218 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


We have abundant evidence of the early exist¬ 
ence of Freemasonry in Germany. The curious 
document known by the title of the Charter of Co¬ 
logne, dated in 1535, and whose authenticity has 
been certified by four Lodges at Delft and La Haye, 
speaks of Lodges which were holden at that time 
in Amsterdam, Frankfort, Hamburg, Antwerp, and 
eight other places in Germany and Holland. At a 
still earlier period, in 1459, we read of a general as¬ 
sembly of the Freemasons of Germany at Ratisbon, 
where a union or confraternity was established, with 
the head at Strasburg—a union that was confirmed 
in 1498, by a decree of the Emperor Maximilian. 

The subject might be extended, and the early 
origin of our institution, and its close connexion 
with the Temple of King Solomon, be still more ex¬ 
plicitly shewn. But I am not writing a history of 
Freemasonry—I desire only to furnish my brethren, 
and others who may read these pages, with some 
evidence that Freemasonry is not only a moral, cha¬ 
ritable, and scientific institution, but that it is also 
an ancient one—that it is no novelty, whose charac¬ 
ter is yet to be tested by experience—but that hav¬ 
ing passed uninjured through the crucible of time, 
it offers its venerable age’as another testimony to 
its intrinsic excellence. 


COROLLARY. 

At length this work has been brought to a conclu- 
ion; and though profoundly sensible of its imper¬ 
fections, I lay it as an humble oblation upon the 
altar of that Institution, whose claims to respect, 
admiration, and love, it is its object to vindicate. 

Freemasonry claims our respect for its age, its 


THE MYSTIC TIE. 


219 


universality, and the great and good men who have, 
in all ages, united in its labors; and who, by en¬ 
rolling their names in its archives, have given a 
surety to the world of the purity and excellence of 
its design. 

Freemasonry claims our admiration for the aid 
that it has given to science and the fine arts. In 
the days of darkness, which for centuries overspread 
the intellectual horizon of Europe, the Freemasons 
alone preserved the principles of architecture, and 
erected, as monuments of their taste, those magni¬ 
ficent edifices, many of which still remain as ob¬ 
jects of pleasing wonder and of imitation to the 
architects of the present day. 

Lastly, Freemasonry claims the love of its chil¬ 
dren for all the good that it has done, for the good 
that it can do, for the good that it will do. The 
tears that it has dried, the sighs that it has hushed, 
the misery that it has alleviated, the despondency 
that it has cheered, the angry passions that it has 
soothed, and the spirit of peace and good will that 
it is ever inculcating—are not to be remembered 
without exacting the deep, abiding love of all who 
have known, or seen, or heard of these deeds of 
well doing. 

The Mason, however, who is filled with this love 
of his Order, must not forget that this very attach¬ 
ment carries with it the obligation of important du¬ 
ties to be performed. For the triumphs of the past 
we are indebted to the virtues of our fathers,—but 
the success of the present, and the hopes of the fu¬ 
ture, depend on ourselves. 

Especially then should the conscientious Mason 
recollect, that the benefits to be derived from the 
ethics of Freemasonry, can only be attained by a 
diligent study of the symbolic system, under which 


220 


THE MYSTIC TIE, 


its instructions are concealed. The good Mason 
should always be a bright one. But Masonry is a 
progressive science, and demands, of those disciples 
who are ambitious of perfection, a devotion of time 
and application to its study. 

Let him then who would honor, and be honored 
by the institution, investigate, with untiring indus¬ 
try, its profound principles, and examine, with close 
attention, the nature and design of its ritual. Let 
him not linger at the porch, but boldly enter its sanc¬ 
tuary, and he will find, as he proceeds, flowers of 
wisdom strewing on every side his path, while his 
progress onward will be marked with an increas¬ 
ing knowledge and augmented love of the Order. 

























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